India–Malaysia Relations: The IMPACT Vision for Collective Growth
Context
During an official visit to Malaysia, the Indian Prime Minister, while interacting with the Indian community in Kuala Lumpur, presented IMPACT as the new organising principle guiding India–Malaysia bilateral engagement.
IMPACT Vision in India–Malaysia Relations
IMPACT denotes India–Malaysia Partnership for Advancing Collective Transformation, envisioned as a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen cooperation across economic, technological, cultural, and societal domains.
Purpose
- Momentum: Deepen and diversify bilateral cooperation.
- Delivery: Translate diplomacy into people-centric outcomes.
- Leadership: Project India–Malaysia ties as a pillar of Asia’s future growth architecture.
Major Dimensions
- Trade, Technology & Investment: Active presence of more than 100 Indian IT enterprises in Malaysia, contributing to employment generation and digital capacity-building.
- Fintech & Digital Bridges: Rollout of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Malaysia and institutional collaboration through the Malaysia–India Digital Council to facilitate interoperable digital payments.
- Diaspora & Human Connect: Indian-origin community as a living bridge (second-largest overseas), expansion of OCI eligibility up to the 6th generation, along with academic scholarships and cultural platforms such as the Thiruvalluvar Chair/Centre.
- Shared Heritage & Culture: Common Indian Ocean civilisational links, linguistic affinities between Tamil and Malay traditions, and historical associations including the INA connection.
- Regional & Strategic Convergence: Partnership aligned with ASEAN centrality, stability in the Indo-Pacific, and a joint commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth.
Relevance
- Strategic Maturity: Recasts India–Malaysia relations from issue-based cooperation to a long-term, value-oriented partnership.
- Digital Statecraft: Reinforces India’s Digital Public Infrastructure as a scalable global public good, enhancing India’s influence in digital diplomacy.
Source : PMI