India and Malaysia review bilateral cooperation at BRICS Summit, focus on trade and FTA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim held a significant meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, reviewing the progress of bilateral cooperation across various sectors, particularly focusing on trade and investment, and the ongoing review of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The discussions took place late on Sunday, highlighting the commitment of both nations to deepen their strategic partnership.

The two leaders assessed the advancements in bilateral ties since Prime Minister Anwar's visit to India in August 2024, encompassing areas such as trade, investment, defence, education, healthcare, tourism, and people-to-people contacts, as stated by the external affairs ministry. Prime Minister Modi congratulated Malaysia on its successful stewardship of ASEAN and welcomed its support for a strengthened ASEAN-India comprehensive strategic partnership, specifically emphasizing the "early and successful completion of the review of the ASEAN-India FTA."

India has expressed concerns regarding the slow progress in the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), with nine rounds of negotiations yielding limited results so far. The Indian side believes that the pact's lenient rules of origin have facilitated the dumping of Chinese-made goods into India via some ASEAN member states, undermining domestic manufacturing. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for August. Furthermore, PM Modi thanked Anwar for his strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, and both leaders discussed cooperation in regional security and multilateral forums, reaffirming their commitment to combating terrorism. Modi also held separate bilateral meetings with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, discussing economic cooperation, digital infrastructure (including UPI), and healthcare, and with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and Vietnam's Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh.