Focus on 'Act East' as PM Modi set to visit Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand next week
New Delhi, July 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand next week, shifting focus to eastern time zones of the Indian Ocean and India's Act East engagements, the Ministry of External Affairs stated on Friday.
On the first leg of his visit, PM Modi will travel to Indonesia on July 6 and participate in several engagements in Jakarta. He will also be visiting the historic city of Yogyakarta and the Prambanan Temple complex, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.
Highlighting PM Modi's successful visit to Seychelles, MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon noted that focus now shifts from the western Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to the eastern time zones and India's Act East engagements.
According to Tandon, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that was first put in place when PM Modi visited Indonesia in 2018 has become a major building block in India's 'Act East' policy and the 'MAHASAGAR' vision over the last few years.
Indonesia has always played an important role in the security and stability of Malacca strait and remains a very important maritime zone for India as it represents one of the important sealines of communications for India, Indian Ocean nations and the global economy.
Indonesia is also a key country within the ASEAN grouping that has been playing a very important role in strengthening the rules-based order in this zone.
"The leaders will review the relations and try and move forward all aspects of the relationship, particularly in maritime cooperation and in defence, in enhancing the trade and economic relations and deepening the age-old people-to-people ties with the Indonesia and other countries in the region," the MEA Secretary detailed.
On the second leg of his visit, PM Modi will travel to Australia from July 8-10. In Melbourne, the PM will participate in the third India-Australia annual summit.
"This is the apex-level institutional mechanism that was put in place under the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement of 2020. This is fed by several ministerial dialogue mechanisms, but in particular defence ministers' mechanisms, foreign ministers' mechanisms and the trade ministers' mechanism," highlighted Secretary Tandon.
The conversations will also cover the emerging areas of India-Australia bilateral relations, in particular the critical minerals, cyber security domain, supply chain resilience and emerging technologies.
PM Modi will then travel to New Zealand on July 11 for the third leg of his visit, where he will hold discussions with his counterpart, Christopher Luxon.
Luxon visited India in 2025 and was the Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker at the Raisina Dialogue 2025.
"There has been a kind of inflexion in India-New Zealand relations which has been gradually developed at a fairly rapid pace, which culminated in the signing of the India-New Zealand FTA in a short period of time," noted Secretary Tandon.
The visit to New Zealand is also significant from a historical perspective as it will be the first visit to the country by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The focus on maritime security and supply chain resilience makes so much sense given the current geopolitical climate. India positioning itself as a reliable partner in the Indo-Pacific while balancing ties with major powers. The MAHASAGAR vision is clever branding too - shows we're not just looking outward but also have something to offer.
Happy to see the Prambanan Temple visit included - showcasing our shared Hindu heritage with Indonesia! And the FTA with New Zealand is long overdue. But I hope these summits also discuss real issues like student visas for Indians and easier trade for small businesses. Diplomatic visits are good, but ground-level benefits matter too. 🤔
Interesting timing - just after the SCO summit too. India is really hedging its bets, deepening ties with both the West and Eastern partners. Critical minerals agreement with Australia is a big win for our renewable energy goals. The Malacca Strait security mention shows we're taking our maritime responsibilities seriously. Good strategic thinking.
Honestly, Act East is one of the best foreign policy pivots India has made. From being isolated during the Cold War to now being a key player in the Indo-Pacific - big transformation. The focus on cyber security and emerging tech with Australia shows we're thinking about future challenges, not just current ones. Good stuff.
I've always found it fascinating how India's foreign policy has shifted from non-alignment to multi-alignment. The first PM visit to NZ in 40 years is a big deal - that relationship was neglected for too long. But I do hope these visits translate into tangible outcomes for ordinary Indians, not just
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