India, Malaysia to expand ties, defense cooperation as Kuala Lumpur tries to move closer to Beijing

The leaders of India and Malaysia say they will seek to expand economic ties and strengthen cooperation on defense and security. This came during Malaysian Prime Minster Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India, his first since he took office in 2022, where he met with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Recently, Anwar has sought to move closer to China, with whom New Delhi has been locked in a long-running border dispute. A key part of Modi’s foreign policy has been to deepen trade and ties with other Asian countries to push back against growing Chinese influence. Both signed Tuesday a slew of new agreements, including digital technologies, tourism and traditional medicine.