• India and Malaysia held a key dialogue in New Delhi during which the two sides exchanged views on the global and regional security environment and agreed to deepen cooperation in counter-terrorism and deradicalisation, and in the field of maritime security.

• The dialogue is an outcome of the visit of Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim to India in August 2024.

• During this visit, India-Malaysia bilateral ties were elevated to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ and both leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.

Highlights of Security Dialogue:

• The first India-Malaysia Security Dialogue was co-chaired by Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser, and Raja Dato Nushirwan Bin Zainal Abidin, Director General of the National Security Council of Malaysia.

• Both sides exchanged views on the global and regional security environment and reviewed on-going bilateral cooperation in the security, defence and maritime fields. 

• The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in counter terrorism and deradicalisation; cybersecurity; defence industry; and maritime security. 

• They also explored ways to enhance cooperation in critical minerals and rare earths. 

• It was agreed to institutionalise the dialogue by holding annual meetings.

India-Malaysia Bilateral Relations

• India established diplomatic relations with the Federation of Malaya (predecessor state of Malaysia) in 1957. 

• The two countries enjoyed a strong relationship in the 1960s as a result of the personal friendship between Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra.

• There is a considerable goodwill for India in Malaysia at people-to people level, which hosts approximately 2.75 million PIOs, which is the second largest PIO community in the world after the US and the third largest Indian diaspora in the world (2.9 million).

• There has been growing engagement in all aspects of our bilateral relationship since the elevation of India-Malaysia relations to Enhanced Strategic Partnership, during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Malaysia in November 2015.

Economic & Commercial Relations

• Bilateral trade between the two countries has been steadily growing to reach $20.01 billion in FY 2023-24. 

• Malaysia has emerged as the 16th largest trading partner for India while India figures among the 10 largest trading partners for Malaysia. 

• Malaysia is also India’s third largest trading partner in ASEAN.

• India’s primary exports to Malaysia consist of mineral fuels, mineral oils, aluminum and related articles, meat and edible meat offal, iron and steel, copper and related articles, organic chemicals, nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and equipment, and more.

• India’s major import items from Malaysia are palm oil, mineral fuels, mineral oils, electrical machinery and equipment; animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; copper and articles thereof, wood; wood charcoal, aluminium, organic chemicals, iron and steel and miscellaneous chemical products. 

Defence and Security

• India-Malaysia defence relations have steadily grown over the years. A MoU on Defence Cooperation was signed in 1993. 

• India participates regularly in the biennial LIMA exhibition. Malaysia participates in the biennial MILAN exercise regularly.

• India is also participating in the Cooperative Mechanism on the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) and contributed to two of the six IMO Projects (Project 1 and Project 4) for enhancement of navigational safety and environmental protection in the Straits.

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