Act East expansion: PM Modi’s landmark Indonesia visit to anchor “MAHASAGAR” vision, reshape maritime ties

Advertisement

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday departed for a six-day visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, stating that the high-level engagement would reinforce India’s Act East Policy, advance its “MAHASAGAR” vision and deepen the country’s commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

In his departure statement prior to the July 6-11 visit, he noted that the high-level engagement would capitalise on the robust momentum in India’s relations with the three key partners, expanding cooperation across strategic, economic and people-centric sectors.

“My visit to Indonesia and Australia in the Eastern and Southern Indian Ocean, respectively, followed by New Zealand, will further strengthen India’s Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR Vision, as well as our outlook towards a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Prime Minister said.

The “MAHASAGAR” framework–which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions–represents India’s institutional blueprint for fostering security, stability and inclusive growth across the maritime domain.

The Prime Minister will commence the first leg of his visit to Indonesia from July 6 to 8 at the invitation of President Prabowo Subianto. This high-profile engagement signifies the Prime Minister’s fourth visit to the maritime neighbour and stands as the inaugural bilateral visit since the relationship was formally elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018.

Recalling that the two democracies elevated their ties during his 2018 visit, the Prime Minister observed that this marks his first bilateral visit since then, following President Prabowo’s high-profile visit to India as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January 2025.

During his schedule, he will interact with the Indian diaspora and accompany President Prabowo on a visit to the Prambanan Temple Complex in Yogyakarta, describing the UNESCO-listed site as a symbol of the deep cultural links between the two nations.

This visit to Indonesia marks a pivotal milestone in reinforcing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations, with advancing defence and maritime cooperation serving as a cornerstone of the bilateral agenda.

Strategic security ties have achieved robust momentum, characterised by an expanding scope of high-level visits, regular bilateral and multilateral exercises, and deeper defence industry cooperation, which includes the significant sale of BrahMos missiles.

As immediate maritime neighbours, both democracies previously adopted the Shared Vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in 2018. To provide further impetus to collective maritime domain awareness, an Indonesian Liaison Officer is being stationed at the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in India.

Furthermore, New Delhi will earmark dedicated training slots for Indonesian cadets and officers at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) to bolster long-term defence capacity building.

Economic collaboration remains positioned to drive growth through expanded trade and mutual investments. Strong institutional synergies have emerged between the respective long-term developmental visions of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Emas (Golden) Indonesia 2045.

Indonesia has established itself as India’s second-largest trading partner within the ASEAN region, with bilateral trade reaching USD 24.78 billion during the 2025-26 fiscal year. Currently, more than 130 Indian enterprises maintain active investments across diverse sectors of the Indonesian economy.

Addressing regional food stability, the two allies are building resilient food security cooperation. India has actively extended support to Indonesia’s primary food security priorities, notably through the critical supply of 100 tonnes of high-quality “DWR 162” wheat seeds. This forms part of a broader, sustained engagement aimed at developing resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.

Critical mineral cooperation is also set to take centre stage during the bilateral talks. Indonesia dominates the global critical minerals sector, commanding roughly 21 per cent of the world’s nickel reserves and ranking prominently among the top global producers of copper, bauxite and tin.

The Prime Minister’s visit is slated to structurally strengthen bilateral institutional mechanisms and trade channels in this vital domain.

Advertisement

The visit highlights a growing paradigm of sharing knowledge and delivering development across governance frameworks. Indonesia increasingly views India as a vital development partner, having dispatched several official delegations to New Delhi to closely study successful social welfare models.

These include India’s Public Distribution System (PDS), the innovative rice fortification scheme, structural fertiliser subsidy reforms, and the digital “AGRISTACK” agricultural platform.

Reflecting these shared developmental priorities, Indonesia’s ambitious Free Nutritious Meals initiative–which has rapidly expanded its national coverage from 3 million to 36 million recipients under President Prabowo Subianto–is explicitly modelled on India’s historic Mid-Day Meal programme, officially known as PM POSHAN.

Similarly, Jakarta’s Red and White Village Cooperatives–a government-backed rural revitalisation initiative launched by President Prabowo to establish 80,000 self-sufficient economic hubs nationwide–aim to set up essential village clinics.

To ensure a steady supply of affordable medicines within these hubs, the two governments are actively working on a government-to-government (G-to-G) bulk supply framework for high-quality, cost-effective pharmaceutical products patterned after India’s “Jan Aushadhi” model.

Digital public infrastructure stands out as a transformative front for bilateral integration. Greater connectivity between India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Indonesia’s Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) digital payment ecosystems is currently being finalised. Once deployed, this cross-border integration will render travel, tourism, trade and financial interactions between the two populations simpler, faster and more seamless.

Paralleling this fintech push is the deployment of the Indonesia Open Network (ION). This open digital infrastructure was closely modelled on the inclusive architectural design of India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The interoperable system is designed to create fairer, decentralised access to national digital markets for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), systematically driving down transaction frictions.

Deepening civilisational bonds and people-to-people ties continue to anchor the geopolitical relationship, rooted in a shared cultural and maritime history spanning more than a millennium.

During the visit, the Prime Minister and President Prabowo will jointly visit the Prambanan Temple Complex, celebrated as the largest temple complex dedicated to Lord Shiva in Indonesia.

Additionally, looking ahead to sustain this deep cultural momentum, India will officially commemorate the centenary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s historic visit to Indonesia in 2027.

Following the completion of the Indonesian leg, the second leg of the visit will take the Prime Minister to Melbourne, where he will hold talks with his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, aimed at expanding the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Prime Minister indicated that discussions would focus on strengthening cooperation in defence and security, trade and investment, education, mobility, and people-to-people exchanges. PM Modi mentioned that he also looked forward to interacting with the Indian community in Melbourne, calling the diaspora an “important pillar” of the bilateral relationship.

The final stop of the visit will be Auckland, where he will meet New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to build on the momentum generated by Luxon’s visit to India in March this year.

The Prime Minister noted that the two leaders would discuss ways to further expand economic, trade and commercial engagement following the signing of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.

“Our bilateral ties have seen significant contribution from the Indian diaspora, and during this visit, I look forward to addressing a large gathering of the Indian community, who have excelled in all spheres of life,” he said.

(ANI)

Also Read: Houthi official says US, Israel assassinated Khamenei over his support for Palestinian cause

Advertisement