Malaysia Hails India as Global Innovation Powerhouse at ASEAN Summit

The Malaysian Defence Minister made the remarks while chairing the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting in Kuala Lumpur which was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., Secretary of National Defence of the Philippines, as Country Coordinator for ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations.

In his opening remarks, Seri Mohamed Khaled expressed appreciation for India's strong engagement and reaffirmed that ASEAN-India partnership remains a vital pillar for regional peace, stability, and prosperity. According to a statement released by the Malaysian Defence Ministry, he highlighted that in an era of shifting power dynamics and uncertainty, regional cooperation between ASEAN and India is not only possible, but essential for addressing emerging security challenges.

"He described India as a 'global powerhouse of knowledge and innovation' - a nation whose strength lies not only in military capability, but in science, technology, and innovation leadership. He outlined two key areas for future collaboration: cyber security and digital defence, and defence industry and innovation," the statement from the Ministry of Defence detailed.

In his remarks, the Malaysian Defence Minister emphasised that ASEAN and India stand as proof that dialogue works and partnership matters. The meeting, he said, paves the way for a renewed phase of ASEAN-India cooperation built upon trust, innovation, and shared commitment to peace and stability in the region.

"YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled noted that India's strong cyber ecosystem and its Defence Cyber Agency offer valuable opportunities for training, capacity building, and protecting critical infrastructure across ASEAN. He also acknowledged India's growing expertise in aerospace, unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and defence manufacturing, encouraging joint research, industrial cooperation, and academic exchanges to foster self-reliance in the region's defence sector," the statement added.

Both ministers also held a bilateral meeting and discussed ways to further strengthen the defence partnership.

"Had a very good conversation with the Defence Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in Kuala Lumpur. Discussed ways to further strengthen the India-Malaysia defence partnership," Singh posted on X after the meeting.

The second edition of ASEAN-India Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting, under the chairmanship of Malaysia, was held on Friday, wherein Defence Ministers from all ASEAN member countries took part. The meeting aimed at further strengthening defence and security cooperation among ASEAN member states and India and advancing the 'Act East Policy'.

ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN member states - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam - and its eight Dialogue Partners, including India, United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, to strengthen security and defence cooperation.

India became the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus is held annually to bolster the defence cooperation among ASEAN and plus countries.

Under the construct of ADMM-Plus, India is the co-chair of Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism with Malaysia for the cycle 2024-2027. According to the Ministry of Defence, the second edition of ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise is also scheduled in 2026.

- IANS