KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia and India agreed on Feb 8 to deepen cooperation across trade, connectivity, food security and digital technology after talks that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said were rooted in trust and longstanding friendship rather than routine diplomacy. The talks, part of a two-day visit to Malaysia by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , his first foreign trip of 2026, came as Delhi seeks to reinforce engagement with South-east Asia and Malaysia is looking to widen its strategic and economic partnership at a time of regional and global uncertainty. Mr Modi had skipped the ASEAN Summit in October 2025.
At a joint press conference in Putrajaya on Feb 8, Datuk Seri Anwar said the two sides were looking beyond past achievements, expressing hope that cooperation could grow beyond the US$18.59 billion (S$23.6 billion) in bilateral trade recorded in 2025. Mr Anwar also said Malaysia would support India’s plan to open a new consulate in the East Malaysian state of Sabah. The leaders’ talks also covered regional and international issues, including the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, particularly Gaza.
“This was not a routine diplomatic exchange, but a discussion between true friends built on trust and understanding,” said Mr Anwar, describing Mr Modi’s commitment to peace efforts as “unequivocal”. Mr Modi echoed that view, saying the growing friendship between the two countries carried added weight amid global instability. “In this environment of global instability, the growing friendship between India and Malaysia is really important for both countries,” Mr Modi said. He added that both sides supported efforts to promote peace through diplomacy and reforms of international institutions, and called for a consistent global approach to terrorism without exceptions.
Mr Modi’s visit produced a series of concrete outcomes. The two leaders oversaw the exchanging of more than 10 memorandums of understanding and exchanges of notes, spanning areas such as technical and vocational education and training, semiconductors, digital cooperation, combating corruption, and security cooperation. In a joint statement issued later, both sides said stronger connectivity would be key to supporting closer economic ties. They welcomed growing air and maritime links between the two countries and agreed to strengthen them further to facilitate trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
Food security and agri-commodity cooperation also featured prominently. The leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in the trade of staple commodities while respecting domestic policies, and stressed the importance of stable, resilient and sustainable supply chains to safeguard food security and nutrition. Mr Anwar reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to remain a reliable supplier of sustainably produced palm oil, a key export for the country, with both sides encouraging closer collaboration in oil palm cultivation. He also said Malaysia and India agreed to rely more on local currencies in bilateral trade and investment, with their central banks working on mechanisms to facilitate transactions between the ringgit and the rupee.
In 2025, total trade between the two countries reached RM79.5 billion (S$25.7 billion). Malaysia’s exports to India amounted to RM52.3 billion, led by palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products as well as electrical and electronic goods. Its imports from India, totalling RM27.19 billion, were mainly agricultural products, petroleum products and chemicals. India is Malaysia’s largest trading partner in South Asia.
The timing of Mr Modi’s visit, coming soon after India clinched a high-profile trade deal with the US that sharply lowered tariffs on Indian goods, also drew attention from analysts. While ties with Washington remain India’s most consequential bilateral relationship, analysts said New Delhi was seeking to deepen economic and political ties with a range of partners to hedge against volatility in US trade and foreign policy. Indian prime ministers typically avoid overseas travel when Parliament is in session, making the weekend visit to Kuala Lumpur notable.
Officials said Mr Modi had earlier assured Mr Anwar that he would make a bilateral visit after being unable to attend the India-ASEAN summit in person last October; he addressed the meeting virtually instead. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official trip to Malaysia comes at an important juncture as India continues to double down on its multi-alignment strategy to de-risk external engagements in times of heightened transactional streaks in international relations,” said Dr Monish Tourangbam, a fellow at the Chintan Research Foundation.
Education and cultural ties, often cited by both leaders as the foundation of the relationship, were also highlighted. The two leaders welcomed the operationalisation of the Thiruvalluvar Chair of Indian Studies and the establishment of the Thiruvalluvar Centre at Universiti Malaya. Mr Anwar welcomed India’s announcement of Thiruvalluvar scholarships for Malaysian nationals to study in India.
A day earlier, Mr Modi was greeted by thousands from Malaysia’s Indian community at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre, where he described the diaspora as a “living bridge” between the two nations. During the event, Mr Modi highlighted everyday cultural links between the two countries, pointing to shared food traditions and popular culture. He compared Malaysia’s roti canai, a flat bread widely eaten across the country, to India’s paratha, and praised the popularity of Malaysia’s frothy milk tea called teh tarik.
Mr Modi also praised Mr Anwar’s familiarity with Indian culture, drawing laughter from the crowd as he spoke of the Malaysian leader’s fluency in singing Hindi songs and his fondness for Tamil music. Mr Chandrasekaran Ponnusamy, who attended the event at the convention centre, said Mr Modi’s remarks on shared culture resonated with him. “Like many Indian Malaysians who have lost our roots there and rarely visit India, this was a chance to connect with our cultural roots that we lost a few generations ago,” he told The Straits Times. Mr Modi closed his address at the event by turning again to the Indian diaspora, saying that identity and belonging transcended geography. “Whether you were born in Kuala Lumpur or Kolkata, India lives in your heart,” he said.