Modi's Malaysia Visit Seen As An Opportunity To Expand Trade, Regional Cooperation

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Malaysia over the weekend offers an opportunity to boost bilateral trade and regional cooperation amid global power shifts.

India and Malaysia enjoy close and multi-faceted relations but there is plenty of scope for growing collaboration in emerging technologies, semiconductor industry, higher education, energy, and for promoting private sector linkages, Malaysian High Commissioner to India Datuk Muzafar Shah Mustafa said.

"This is an important visit for Malaysia as it will enable the two leaders to build on the goodwill generated during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's visit to New Delhi in August 2024," Muzafar told Bernama on Wednesday.

Malaysia-India ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Anwar's visit.

"In the current global environment, it is important to have stable relationships. Malaysia and India are reliable partners and share common views on many regional and international issues," he said.

"With India's strong focus on trade and economic issues in its engagements with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Malaysia can be a gateway for Indian companies in their regional aspirations.

“Likewise, we encourage Malaysian companies to take advantage of India's large market," Muzafar added.

The Indian prime minister's bilateral visit to Malaysia signals the growing importance of Kuala Lumpur in India's "Act East" policy and is expected to culminate in expanding economic and strategic ties between the two countries, said Manish Chand, chief executive officer of Delhi-based think-tank Centre for Global India Insights.

Chand said that amid shifting global power alliances, Anwar has positioned the ASEAN as a key player in the Global South and a rising force to be reckoned with, when Malaysia chaired the 11-member regional bloc in 2025.

Modi's last official visit to Malaysia was in November 2015 when, apart from bilateral engagements, he participated in the ASEAN–India Summit and East Asia Summit.

The Indian prime minister made a brief stopover in Malaysia in May 2018 during a scheduled visit to the region.

His weekend Malaysia visit is taking place months after the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Kuala Lumpur for which he could not travel but participated virtually.

Modi is likely to pitch for more investments from Malaysia in India's infrastructure sector and, on the strategic front, the two sides will discuss expanding security cooperation, Chand said.

"Besides bilateral issues, one can expect broader discussion on enhancing cooperation in shaping a rules-based international order and in promoting interests and aspirations of the Global South," the Indian analyst said.

-- BERNAMA