PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reviewed progress in the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and agreed on Malaysia’s concurrence to the establishment of an Indian Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, during talks on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit today.
The meeting followed Modi’s official visit to Malaysia in February and covered cooperation in trade and investment, defence and security, semiconductors, infrastructure, the digital economy, energy, fintech, education, tourism and people-to-people ties.
The two leaders also exchanged views on key regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Modi welcomed Anwar to India and appreciated Malaysia’s participation in the BRICS Summit as a Partner Country. He also welcomed Malaysia’s continued support for strengthening ASEAN-India relations.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Anwar’s participation in the summit comes as Malaysia engages with BRICS as a Partner Country following an invitation from India.
Modi urged BRICS countries to remove 10 major trade barriers and deepen cross-border business ties as the emerging-market bloc enters its 20th year.
Speaking at the BRICS Business Forum ahead of the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, Modi called on the BRICS Business Council to prepare a report on how the barriers could be eliminated.
He also proposed three benchmarks for measuring progress, including helping 100 BRICS startups expand into other member markets each year and developing 1,000 new partnerships among businesses across the bloc.
“Can we support 100 BRICS startups each year to expand into other BRICS markets? Can we develop 1,000 new partnerships among our businesses? We should review our progress annually based on these three benchmarks,” he said.
Modi said India had signed free trade agreements with nearly 40 countries since 2014 and adopted the same approach within BRICS by reducing barriers and expanding business opportunities.
Under India’s chairmanship, he said, new cooperation networks had been established in agriculture, healthcare, skills and smart grids.
India had also launched the BRICS Incubator Network, BRICS MSME Portal and BRICS Startup Innovation Fund to connect startups and small and medium enterprises with markets and financing.
“You can all benefit from these cooperation frameworks and further enhance investment and talent exchanges among our countries,” he said.
Modi said India had more than 200,000 startups and over 120 unicorns, with companies developing solutions in areas including artificial intelligence, healthcare, education, green hydrogen, batteries, defence and space.
“Now, through BRICS as well, we must bring these world-class innovations to the global market,” he said.
BRICS countries account for about 50 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global GDP and more than 25 per cent of global trade.
Malaysia is India’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN and the 31st-largest investor in India, with direct foreign investment of US$1.34 billion between April 2000 and March 2026.
About 70 to 80 Malaysian companies, including joint ventures, operate in India across sectors including infrastructure, healthcare, telecommunications, oil and gas, power generation, automotive, fast-moving consumer goods, tourism and human resources. Their projects are collectively valued at more than US$4 billion.
Overall Malaysian investment in India, including capital routed through third countries, is estimated at about US$3.3 billion, while announced investments exceed US$8.6 billion, mainly in renewable energy, green hydrogen, green ammonia and infrastructure.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is attending the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit as Malaysia participates as a BRICS Partner Country. The bilateral meeting was part of Anwar’s wider diplomatic engagements in New Delhi, which also included talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. - September 12, 2026
