Maritime neighbours, close partners: PM Modi after meeting Malaysian counterpart

India and Malaysia reviewed their cooperation in areas ranging from trade and semiconductors to infrastructure and defence as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim met on the margins of the Brics Summit on Saturday and explored ways to build on the momentum in bilateral relations.

Malaysia is a partner country in the Brics grouping, and Anwar is visiting India seven months after Modi’s trip to Kuala Lumpur in February. Malaysia is also a key partner within the Asean grouping for India, and trade between the two countries is currently worth almost $19 billion.

“Maritime neighbours, close partners and a friendship powered by our people.

Delighted to meet PM Anwar Ibrahim,” Modi said on social media after the meeting. “India-Malaysia ties are moving into ambitious new areas like semiconductors, critical minerals, clean energy, infrastructure and talent mobility.”

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Modi said the growing defence partnership, expanding two-way investments and deeper people-to-people links reflected the new momentum in the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

Anwar said in a separate social media post that he had raised with Modi the need to “facilitate and accelerate the entry of Malaysian export goods into the Indian market” to provide opportunities to Malaysian companies to tap India’s rapidly growing market. The discussions also focused on efforts to expand cooperation in strategic sectors, particularly the semiconductor industry, he said.

“Malaysia and India possess complementary strengths that can be harnessed through industrial collaboration, supply chain integration, talent development and two-way investments,” Anwar said.

The external affairs ministry said in a readout that the two leaders took stock of the outcomes of Modi’s visit to Malaysia in February and reviewed progress in cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, defence and security, infrastructure, digital economy, energy, fintech, education, tourism and people-to-people ties.

Anwar conveyed Malaysia’s concurrence to the establishment of an Indian consulate at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.

Modi appreciated Malaysia’s continued support in strengthening Asean-India relations and the leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues, the readout said.