KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — The Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) is looking to tap into India’s cybersecurity expertise and its strengths in science, technology, and innovation.
At the Asean-India informal meeting today, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the bloc aims to deepen its partnership with India in two key areas — cybersecurity and digital defence, as well as defence industry and innovation.
Khaled said Asean countries regard India as a “superpower in its own right”, defined not by conventional military strength like the United States or China, but by its mastery of science, technology, and innovation.
“And for Asean, India stands as the global brain trust of scientific innovation and knowledge — a powerhouse of ideas and discoveries.
“India’s expertise as a leading digital power, with its Defence Cyber Agency and strong national cyber governance, provides an excellent foundation for cyber defence training, capacity building, and protection of our defence networks and critical infrastructure.
“Through joint research, industrial cooperation, and academic exchange, Asean and India must drive innovation, reduce dependency, and strengthen regional defence self-reliance,” he said while chairing the meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.
India’s Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh represented New Delhi at the meeting.
India established sectoral dialogue relations with Asean in 1992, which were upgraded to full dialogue partnership in 1995. The relationship was further elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.
India is also a member of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).
