Leaders from India and Malaysia have affirmed their commitment to strengthening trade ties and exploring new cooperation in semiconductors, defence and other sectors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met on Sunday in the Malaysian administrative capital, Putrajaya.
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The two leaders pledged to deepen Indian-Malaysian collaboration across trade and investments, food security, defence, healthcare and tourism.
“It’s really comprehensive, and we believe that we can advance this and execute in a speedy manner with the commitment of both our governments,” Anwar said at a news conference after hosting Modi at his official residence in Putrajaya.
Modi is on a two-day visit to the Southeast Asian country. It is his first since the two countries elevated ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in August 2024.
“Had an excellent meeting with PM Anwar Ibrahim at Seri Perdana earlier today. India and Malaysia are maritime neighbours who have always enjoyed a close friendship,” Modi posted on X.
After their meeting, Anwar and Modi witnessed the exchange of 11 cooperation agreements their countries had signed, including on disaster management and peacekeeping.
Anwar said India and Malaysia would continue efforts to promote the use of local-currency settlement for cross-border activities and expressed hope that bilateral trade would surpass last year’s $18.6bn.
Malaysia will also support India’s efforts to open a consulate in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island, Anwar said.
Under the 2024 comprehensive strategic partnership, Malaysia and India already collaborated on a range of issues, including defence. India and Malaysia have conducted five joint military exercises in the past five years, and defence cooperation is expected to grow further.
Pledge to deepen semiconductor ties
The two countries also pledged on Sunday to deepen their semiconductor partnership.
“Along with AI and digital technologies, we will advance our partnership in semiconductors, health and food security,” Modi said.
Malaysia ranks sixth in worldwide exports of semiconductors, and the sector accounts for about 25 percent of its gross domestic product, according to Malaysian government figures.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the Southeast Asian nation has a “very strong semiconductor ecosystem”.
“They have almost 30 to 40 years of experience in those areas,” the ministry added in a statement before Modi’s arrival.
“Our companies are … interested in collaborating with Malaysia,” it said, including in research and development and building manufacturing and testing plants.
Tata Electronics was in talks in June with global semiconductor companies to buy a fabrication or outsourced semiconductor assembly or test plant in Malaysia, Indian and Malaysian news reports said at the time.
Last year, India exported $7.32bn in goods to Nepal, mainly in engineering and petroleum products, the India Brand Equity Foundation said.
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