With just four days to go, the fact that there is still no clarity from the Indian foreign ministry as to whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 47th ASEAN Summit scheduled from October 26 to 28 and the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur is indicative of the complex situation and diplomatic challenges facing New Delhi.
Fronting ‘strategic autonomy’ as its prime diplomatic plank, PM Modi may have to finely balance the Indian position when he comes face to face with top leaders of opposing blocs if at all he undertakes the visit.
Strategically, QUAD and BRICS seem to be at odds with each other in balancing strategic concerns—with India being the common denominator and member of both the groupings.
But what makes the likelihood of Modi’s Malaysian tour all the more strong is the fact that India will be hosting both the QUAD and the BRICS Summit in 2026. Therefore, not undertaking the tour may send a bad signal to the global community.
With the top leaders from the ten ASEAN countries in attendance besides the dialogue partners including QUAD nations—India, US, Australia, and Japan—and BRICS nations again including India, Russia, China and South Africa with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also scheduled to attend the meet in a first time for a Brazilian leader, India’s utterances and posturing will be keenly watched from the sidelines including the body language of the Indian representative while interacting with the global leaders.
Malaysia meetup?
With US President Donald Trump already confirming his official tour to Malaysia and the possibility of a meeting with Modi in the offing, the complex gamut of trade ties between the two countries would obviously be on top of the agenda.
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The two countries are at the moment engaged in a parley to resolve the contentious tariff issue.
Another important question is whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will undertake the tour despite media reports indicating his keenness. Putin’s presence in Malaysia will present a piquant situation for Kuala Lumpur, as the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant against the Russian leader, and Malaysia may be constrained to act on the same. Not acting on the warrant may risk Malaysia’s ICC membership.