Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on an official visit to Malaysia on February 7-8, 2026, at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. This reciprocal visit follows Anwar Ibrahim's trip to India in August 2024 and is expected to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established between the two nations during that time. India's High Commissioner to Malaysia, B.N. Reddy, has described the visit as "historic in many ways," anticipating it will mark a new phase in bilateral relations.
Modi's itinerary includes an official welcome in Putrajaya and bilateral talks with Anwar Ibrahim in Seri Perdana. The leaders are expected to discuss expanding cooperation across various sectors, including trade and investment, defense and security, labor, tourism, connectivity, agriculture, and education. They will also address regional and global issues of mutual interest. Several agreements and cooperation documents are slated for exchange, encompassing areas like anti-corruption, seafarer training, disaster management, audio-visual production, and labor collaboration. Engagements involving semiconductors, healthcare, national security, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) are also on the agenda. Additionally, cooperation on UN peacekeeping and the International Big Cats Alliance framework will be discussed.
Reddy highlighted that Modi's visit will be guided by India's "Mahasagar" vision and its broader Indo-Pacific approach, emphasizing the implementation of recent initiatives and the expansion of cooperation into new strategic and economic areas. A key outcome of the enhanced partnership has been the initiation of a security dialogue between India and Malaysia for the first time. The High Commissioner also noted the growing convergence in digital and technology-driven sectors, pointing to the memorandum of understanding on digital technologies that led to the establishment of the Malaysia–India Digital Council.
The visit will also strongly emphasize business engagement, with the 10th India–Malaysia CEOs' Forum being held on the sidelines. Approximately 20 Indian CEOs are expected to participate in the forum, which aims to bring businesses from both countries together. A joint report from the forum will be presented to Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim following official-level talks.
India considers Malaysia a crucial gateway for Indian companies in their regional aspirations, particularly within the ASEAN region. Malaysia is India's third-largest trading partner within ASEAN, with bilateral trade of around $20 billion. In 2025, trade between Malaysia and India reached RM79.49 billion, with exports to India at RM52.30 billion and imports at RM27.19 billion. Key exports include palm oil and electrical and electronic products, while imports are mainly agricultural, petroleum, and chemical goods.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this visit marks Modi's third to Malaysia and his first following Anwar Ibrahim's state visit to India in 2024. The MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the visit will also provide an opportunity to enhance India's engagement with the ASEAN region, given Malaysia's important role as its founding member and its chairship of ASEAN. During the visit, the two leaders will review progress under the India Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership, especially in priority areas of cooperation such as trade, investments, defense, security, semiconductors, digital technologies, renewable energy, education, healthcare, and people to people exchanges.