Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday engaged in two significant bilateral meetings during the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali to broaden India's strategic and economic partnerships across Asia and Africa.
During his discussion with Anwar Ibrahim, the two leaders examined ways to deepen bilateral trade relations between the two nations. A key area of focus was the semiconductor sector, where India and Malaysia have been exploring closer collaboration. Malaysia already serves as a major hub for electronics manufacturing and semiconductor packaging, making it a natural partner for India's own ambitions to build a robust semiconductor ecosystem under its production-linked incentive scheme. The two prime ministers also discussed expanding cooperation in defence, with potential areas including maritime security coordination and defence technology partnerships.
In a separate meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, the conversation centred on strengthening India's security partnership with the East African nation. Discussions covered counter-terrorism cooperation, maritime security in the Red Sea corridor, and broader defence collaboration. Ethiopia has been increasingly positioning itself as a key partner for India in the Horn of Africa region, particularly given the strategic importance of the Red Sea shipping routes and the growing Indian footprint in East Africa through initiatives like the India-Africa Forum Summit.
Both meetings underscore India's active diplomatic engagement on the global stage even as it participates in multilateral forums like BRICS. The conversations reflect New Delhi's broader strategy of diversifying partnerships across the Global South while maintaining strong ties with Southeast Asian nations through frameworks like Act East Policy. Analysts note that India's engagement with both countries signals its intent to be a reliable partner in trade, technology, and security without necessarily aligning with any single power bloc.
