PM Narendra Modi’s three-nation tour: Defence, critical minerals on table at India-Indonesia meeting today

4 min readNew DelhiJul 7, 2026 04:37 AM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto after arriving in Jakarta on Monday. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday began a three-nation tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. He said the visit, from July 6-11, “will further strengthen India’s Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR Vision as well as our outlook towards a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

Modi, who reached Jakarta Monday afternoon, was received at the airport by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The two leaders are expected to focus on bilateral cooperation in defence and maritime partnerships, critical minerals, food security and digital economy at their meeting on Tuesday.

“I’m touched by President Prabowo Subianto’s gesture of welcoming me at the airport,” Modi said on X. “In 2018, we elevated our relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which has benefited our people. During this visit, President Prabowo Subianto and I will hold discussions aimed at adding even more momentum to this partnership across diverse sectors,” he said.

While this is his fourth visit to Indonesia, it is the first bilateral visit since the elevation of ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018. “President Prabowo and I will visit the Prambanan Temple complex at Yogyakarta. This will ensure closer cultural linkages between our nations,” Modi said on X.

Sources said India’s defence and security cooperation with Indonesia has seen increased momentum and expanding scope through high-level visits, regular bilateral and multilateral exercises, and deeper defence industry cooperation, including the sale of BrahMos missiles.

As maritime neighbours, both countries adopted the Shared Vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in 2018. “The stationing of an Indonesian liaison officer at IFC-IOR (Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region) will give further impetus to our maritime domain awareness. India will also be earmarking slots for Indonesian cadets and officers at the National Defence Academy and Defence Services Staff College which will enhance defence capacity building,” sources said.

Explained

Strong trade ties

Indonesia has emerged as India’s second largest trading partner in ASEAN region with bilateral trade of US$ 24.78 billion in 2025-26. Over 130 Indian companies are invested in different sectors in Indonesia.

On cooperation in critical minerals, officials said Indonesia dominates the sector, commanding roughly 21% of world’s nickel reserves and ranking among the top global producers of copper, bauxite and tin. On trade and investments, officials said there are “strong synergies between developmental visions of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Emas (Golden) Indonesia 2045”.

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The two sides will also work towards building resilient food security cooperation. Officials said several Indonesian delegations have visited India to learn from social welfare schemes like the PDS, fortified rice scheme and fertiliser subsidy reforms. Indonesia’s free nutritious meals initiative is modelled on India’s midday meal programme.

According to officials, India is set to commemorate the centenary of Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to Indonesia in 2027.

From Indonesia, Modi will travel to Australia. “My visit will strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and I shall, in my discussions with PM (Anthony) Albanese, take forward our relations in areas of defence and security, trade and investments, education and mobility, and people-to-people ties,” Modi said on X. On his New Zealand tour he said on X, “I shall discuss with PM (Christopher) Luxon how to further enhance economic, trade and commercial enga­gements. India and New Zealand have committed them­s­elves to strengthening bilateral trade and commercial ties with the signing of the FTA.”

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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