Modi embarks on three-nation Indo-Pacific tour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday began a three-nation visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, a tour New Delhi is framing around deeper strategic, economic and people-to-people ties across the eastern and southern Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific.

The visit from 6 to 11 July will take Modi first to Indonesia, then to Australia and finally to New Zealand. The tour comes as India looks to sharpen its Act East policy, advance its MAHASAGAR vision, and strengthen partnerships with countries central to its Indo-Pacific outreach.

Modi said in his departure statement that the tour would further strengthen India’s Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR Vision and its outlook towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The first leg will take Modi to Indonesia from 6 to 8 July at the invitation of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

Modi said India and Indonesia had elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during his first visit to Indonesia in 2018, and that this would be his first bilateral visit to the country since that upgrade.

The visit also follows Prabowo’s state visit to India earlier this year, when he was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2025.

During that visit, India and Indonesia signed agreements across areas including culture, health, maritime cooperation, security and digital sectors, while the two sides also discussed defence manufacturing, supply chains, maritime security, cybersecurity, counterterrorism and deradicalisation.

Modi said India and Indonesia share strong civilizational and people-to-people ties, and that his visit would deepen the many strands of the partnership.

In Indonesia, he is also expected to interact with the Indian diaspora and visit the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta with Prabowo, a stop New Delhi is presenting as a marker of the two countries’ long cultural links.

From Indonesia, Modi will travel to Melbourne at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The talks are expected to focus on defense and security, trade and investment, education and mobility, and people-to-people ties, according to the Prime Minister’s statement.

Modi said his Australia visit would strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and provide an opportunity to deepen bilateral cooperation in emerging and critical technologies, sports and sports science.

He is also expected to interact with the Indian diaspora in Melbourne, which he described as an important pillar of the strategic partnership.

The Australia leg comes against the backdrop of expanding defense, trade and mobility ties.

Australia and India have stepped up military engagement in recent years, with both sides taking part in exercises including Milan and Kakadu, and the two governments have also discussed expanded cooperation in areas such as amphibious combat, submarine rescue and regional maritime security.

Trade is another major part of the relationship.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says India was Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner in 2025, with two-way goods and services trade valued at A$50.2 billion. Australian exports to India were A$32 billion and imports from India were A$18 billion in 2024-25.

India and Australia are also building on the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement. India said earlier this year that Australia had granted preferential market access on all tariff lines covering imports from India under the pact, with most lines becoming duty-free immediately and the rest being phased out over five years.

The final leg of the tour will take Modi to Auckland, New Zealand, at the invitation of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Modi said the visit would build on the momentum created by Luxon’s India visit in March 2025 and that the two leaders would discuss ways to enhance economic, trade and commercial engagement.

India and New Zealand have committed to strengthening trade ties after signing a free trade agreement. A government backgrounder on the pact said it eliminates duty on all Indian exports to New Zealand and includes a $20 billion investment commitment, while also covering market access, agricultural productivity, investment, talent mobility, tourism, sports and people-to-people ties.

The agreement also comes with a diaspora dimension.

The same government note said around 300,000 persons of Indian origin and NRIs live in New Zealand, making up nearly 5% of its population.

Modi said the Indian diaspora had made a significant contribution to bilateral ties and that he looked forward to addressing a large community gathering in New Zealand.

The New Zealand visit carries additional diplomatic weight because it is the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country in four decades, according to Luxon.

Reuters reported that the visit also comes amid political debate in New Zealand over the free trade agreement and rising anti-Indian sentiment in the country.