New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake an official visit to Malaysia from February 7 to 8, during which he will hold bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
This will be PM Modi’s third visit to Malaysia and the first since India–Malaysia relations were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India in August 2024.
According to the MEA, India is exploring opportunities to deepen defence cooperation during the visit, including discussions on the sale of Dornier aircraft, maintenance support for Scorpene submarines, and servicing of SU-30 fighter aircraft.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to interact with members of the Indian diaspora and business leaders in Malaysia.
Malaysia is home to a 2.9 million-strong Indian diaspora, the third-largest in the world, and the second-largest population of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). The country remains a key partner for India within ASEAN, the Indo-Pacific, and under India’s Act East Policy.
Diplomatic ties between India and Malaysia were established in 1957 and were elevated to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership during PM Modi’s visit in 2015, before being upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024.
PM Modi last paid an official visit to Malaysia in November 2015 and made a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur in May 2018. The two leaders have maintained regular engagement, including meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in July 2025, the ASEAN-India Summit in October 2025, and a telephonic conversation earlier that month.
High-level exchanges between the two countries have intensified since 2022. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Malaysia in October 2025 for the East Asia Summit, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus in October–November 2025.
India–Malaysia defence ties now span training, capacity building, joint exercises and defence industrial cooperation, with HAL opening its first regional office in Kuala Lumpur in 2023.
Economic engagement remains a key pillar of the partnership, with bilateral trade reaching USD 19.85 billion in FY 2024–25. Malaysia is India’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN, while India ranks among Malaysia’s top ten partners. Trade settlement in Indian Rupees has been permitted since April 2023.
People-to-people ties have also strengthened following visa liberalisation by both sides. Malaysia has allowed visa-free entry for Indian nationals since December 2023, while India has extended gratis tourist visas to Malaysians until December 2026. Nearly 1.4 million Indians visited Malaysia in 2025, while around 300,000 Malaysians travelled to India.
READ MORE: Ikram Hussain's brass carvings fascinated PM Modi
Cultural and educational cooperation has expanded with the establishment of an Ayurveda Chair at UTAR in September 2024 and a Thiruvalluvar Chair of Indian Studies at University Malaya in October 2025, following announcements made during Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India.
