PM Modi To Skip ASEAN Summit In Malaysia, No Meeting With Trump Likely This Year

File photo of PM Modi arriving for the 21st ASEAN-India summit in Laos. (PTI)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN Summit later this month. Instead, he will attend the summit virtually.

The decision effectively ends speculation over a possible meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Kuala Lumpur summit. It would have marked their first interaction since Washington decided to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods earlier this year.

In a statement on Instagram, Anwar said PM Modi had informed him that he would attend the proceedings online, citing the ongoing Diwali celebrations in India. “I respect the decision and express my Deepavali greetings to him and all the people of India,” Anwar added.

PM Modi, too, later wrote on X about his conversation with the Malaysian Prime Minister and confirmed that he will attend the summit virtually.

Anwar said the two leaders spoke by phone on Wednesday night to discuss “efforts to strengthen the Malaysia-India bilateral relationship.” He described India as “an important partner in trade and investment, apart from close cooperation in technology, education, and regional security”.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to represent India in the ASEAN summit. This is the second time in the past decade that PM Modi will skip the ASEAN summit. Earlier, he had consistently prioritised ASEAN in his foreign policy outreach to Southeast Asia.

Officials have also confirmed that no bilateral meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump is scheduled this year since both are not meeting at the summits. While Trump is expected to attend the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Modi’s diplomatic calendar will focus on the G20 Summit in South Africa in November, which Trump will not attend. There is, as of now, no clarity on the scheduling of the QUAD Summit, which India is slated to host later this year.

Malaysia has extended invitations to US President Donald Trump and several other leaders from ASEAN’s dialogue partner countries for the upcoming summit in Kuala Lumpur. Trump is expected to arrive in the Malaysian capital on a two-day visit starting October 26.

The ASEAN–India partnership, which began as a sectoral dialogue in 1992, was upgraded to a full dialogue partnership in 1995 and further elevated to the summit level in 2002. A decade later, in 2012, the relationship was raised to a strategic partnership, marking a key milestone in regional diplomacy.

ASEAN comprises 10 member nations, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. In recent years, India’s ties with ASEAN have witnessed steady growth, with a strong emphasis on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, security, and defence, reflecting New Delhi’s Act East Policy and ASEAN’s central role in regional stability.

PM Modi, Malaysian PM Speak On Call

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday said he had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss ways to elevate the Malaysia–India partnership to a “more strategic and comprehensive level.”

“Last night, I received a phone call from my colleague, Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, to discuss efforts to strengthen the Malaysia–India bilateral relationship,” Anwar said in a statement. He noted that India remains “an important partner in trade and investment, apart from close cooperation in technology, education, and regional security.”

The Malaysian leader said the two also discussed preparations for the ASEAN Summit, which will be hosted by Kuala Lumpur later this month.

“He informed that he would attend online since the Deepavali festival was still being celebrated in India at that time. I respect the decision and express my Deepavali greetings to him and all the people of India,” Anwar said.

Reaffirming his commitment to regional cooperation, Anwar added, “Malaysia will continue to be committed to strengthening the Malaysia–India relationship and to enhance further ASEAN–India cooperation towards a more peaceful and prosperous region.”