India and Malaysia have shared an Enhanced Strategic Partnership since 2015
Bilateral ties between India and Malaysia are set to grow stronger with cooperation in new and emerging areas such as digital public infrastructure, fintech and semiconductors. 
 
According to information released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday (November 9, 2023), this was part of the discussions at the 6th India-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in New Delhi on November 7, 2023.
 
The meeting was co-chaired by Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Zambry Abd Kadir and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. 
 
In keeping with the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between India and Malaysia, both sides decided to take steps to deepen economic and defence engagements. This would include forging cooperation in new and emerging areas such as digital public infrastructure, fintech and semiconductors.
 
According to the MEA, the JCM undertook a comprehensive review of the progress made in all areas of bilateral cooperation including political, defence and security, maritime cooperation, trade and investment, health, energy, science and technology, culture, tourism and people to people ties.
 
Views on regional, multilateral and geo-political issues of mutual interest were also exchanged during the meeting.
 
The JCM outcomes included the following:
 
1. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Broadcasting between Prasar Bharti, India and Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), Malaysia.
 
2. Notes between Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs (IDFR) on Cooperation in Field of Training of Diplomats and Other Personnel.
 
The Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs was on an official visit to India from November 5-8, 2023. He was accompanied by senior officials of the Malaysian Government. His engagements while in Delhi included a call on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. 
 
"The visit by Foreign Minister Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir and convening of the JCM provided a fresh impetus to relations between India and Malaysia," the MEA said.
 
India and Malaysia share a firm commitment to advancing the vision of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership, which was established during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Malaysia in 2015. This framework has served as a catalyst, propelling India and Malaysia towards a deeper collaboration and shared progress through concerted efforts.

The past few years have seen growing collaboration between India and Malaysia in the area of defence and security as well. The progress on this front was reviewed when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Malaysia and met his counterpart Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2023.

During the talks, both sides discussed initiatives to further expand bilateral defence ties, with particular focus on identifying ways to strengthen industrial cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement the Enhanced Strategic Partnership based on mutual trust and understanding, common interests and shared values of democracy and rule of law.

In a sign of the growing defence industrial collaboration between the two nations, India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) established a regional office in the Malaysian capital during Defence Minister Singh’s visit. The regional office will facilitate close defence industrial collaboration between India and Malaysia.