India-Malaysia Relation / India will deal with China's 50 year old friend

India-Malaysia Relation: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim is coming to India for the first time on a three-day visit. During this visit, he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will also meet President Draupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Anwar Ibrahim's visit is being seen as an effort to further strengthen India-Malaysia relations. The two countries have had historical and cultural ties, and Prime Minister Modi had emphasized on strategic partnership in 2015 to improve India-Malaysia relations.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Malaysian Prime Minister will be formally welcomed at Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 20, after which he will visit Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi. The visit is particularly important as relations between Malaysia and India turned sour in 2019, when former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad supported Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

However, relations between the two countries have improved in the last few years, and Anwar Ibrahim has taken a positive stance. India is one of Malaysia's major trading partners, and the visit is expected to lead to new agreements in the trade, digital, fintech, and semiconductor sectors.

The visit also holds special significance in the context of China-Malaysia's 50-year-old diplomatic relations. Trade relations between China and Malaysia have been strong, while India is also among Malaysia's top 10 trading partners. China often works on a policy to provoke India's neighboring countries, but the strengthening of relations between the two countries due to the Malaysian Prime Minister's visit to India can increase China's concern.

Meanwhile, India's relations with Maldives have also improved. Recently an MOU was signed between India and Maldives regarding UPI payment, which can be beneficial for the tourism sector of Maldives. Relations between India and Maldives are getting back on track, and the Malaysian Prime Minister's visit to India is expected to strengthen India's position in global diplomacy.