Growing military, maritime and economic cooperation reflects a shared vision for regional stability and Global South leadership…reports Asian Lite News Desk
India and Indonesia are entering a new phase in their long-standing relationship, with both nations seeking to play a greater role in shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific while advancing a more inclusive agenda for the Global South, according to a report published on Sunday.
A report in The Sunday Guardian said the growing frequency of high-level exchanges, ministerial meetings, strategic dialogues, defence consultations and institutional partnerships over the past three years reflects an unprecedented political commitment by both governments to strengthen bilateral ties.
The renewed momentum comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to Indonesia in July. Earlier this month, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono confirmed that preparations for the visit are underway, describing it as a reciprocal gesture following President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to India as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations earlier this year.
Sugiono said bilateral cooperation has expanded well beyond traditional diplomacy to include defence, maritime security, trade, technology and other strategic sectors.
According to the report, Indonesia’s growing prominence in India’s foreign policy reflects more than diplomatic engagement. Ongoing negotiations over the possible acquisition of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, expanding naval cooperation, increased focus on securing the strategically vital Malacca Strait, and plans related to a spaceport in Biak, Papua, underline the emergence of both countries as key maritime partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Economic ties have also strengthened significantly, with bilateral trade approaching USD 30 billion, making Indonesia one of India’s largest trading partners within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The report cited Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation, who argued at the Jakarta Futures Forum last year that the India-Indonesia partnership is, in many ways, larger than India’s relationships with countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan or Germany, despite receiving comparatively limited attention in India’s strategic discourse.
Saran also stressed that the Indo-Pacific would realise its full potential only if India and Indonesia, working alongside like-minded partners, assumed greater responsibility for shaping the region’s strategic and economic future.
India’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Sandeep Chakravorty, said India and Southeast Asia today share a relationship marked by strategic convergence, expanding economic engagement and a common identity as members of the Global South, free from territorial disputes that affect many other regional partnerships.
The report concludes that Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming visit offers an opportunity not only to deepen bilateral cooperation but also to redefine the broader intellectual and strategic foundations of India-Indonesia relations as both nations seek to emerge as influential voices in the evolving Indo-Pacific order.
