Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for the 47th ASEAN Summit later this month. Instead, he will attend the summit virtually.
The decision effectively ends speculation over a possible meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Kuala Lumpur summit. It would have marked their first interaction since Washington decided to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods earlier this year.
In a statement on Instagram, Anwar said PM Modi had informed him that he would attend the proceedings online, citing the ongoing Diwali celebrations in India. “I respect the decision and express my Deepavali greetings to him and all the people of India,” Anwar added.
PM Modi, too, later wrote on X about his conversation with the Malaysian Prime Minister and confirmed that he will attend the summit virtually.
Anwar said the two leaders spoke by phone on Wednesday night to discuss “efforts to strengthen the Malaysia-India bilateral relationship.” He described India as “an important partner in trade and investment, apart from close cooperation in technology, education, and regional security”.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to represent India in the ASEAN summit. This is the second time in the past decade that PM Modi will skip the ASEAN summit. Earlier, he had consistently prioritised ASEAN in his foreign policy outreach to Southeast Asia.
Officials have also confirmed that no bilateral meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump is scheduled this year since both are not meeting at the summits. While Trump is expected to attend the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Modi’s diplomatic calendar will focus on the G20 Summit in South Africa in November, which Trump will not attend. There is, as of now, no clarity on the scheduling of the QUAD Summit, which India is slated to host later this year.