Modi pivots to Asia-Pacific as New Delhi attempts to expand strategic footprint

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a six-day tour of the Asia-Pacific this week, with analysts viewing the visit as an effort by New Delhi to reaffirm its commitment to the region at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty.

The visit also comes as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)—comprising Australia, India, Japan and the United States—has gone nearly two years without a leaders' summit, according to an analysis by the Foreign Policy journal.

Modi arrived in Indonesia at the beginning of this week, travelled to Australia on July 8, and will conclude the trip in New Zealand. The diplomatic push comes just days after he hosted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in New Delhi for a bilateral summit.

Under US President Donald Trump, Washington's focus on the Indo-Pacific has taken a back seat to conflicts involving Iran, Israel, Russia and China, as well as developments in South America, creating uncertainty about the future direction of American engagement in the region.

At the same time, Modi's diplomacy reflects India's broader strategic objective of expanding its influence across the Asia-Pacific, where Beijing has steadily strengthened its economic and security presence.

Australia and Japan remain among India's closest regional partners, and Modi's meetings are expected to reinforce cooperation on shared security concerns, particularly efforts to balance China's growing influence. Although New Delhi has sought to stabilize relations with Beijing since the deadly 2020 border clash, China continues to be viewed as India's principal long-term strategic rival.

Current strains in US-India relations have also raised questions about the extent of future American support in countering China, including intelligence sharing that has previously helped India respond to Chinese military activity along their disputed border. That uncertainty has made cooperation with the other Quad members increasingly important for New Delhi.

Breakdown of bilateral ties

India's relationship with Indonesia has traditionally centered on trade and economic ties, but it has expanded significantly since the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2018. During his visit, Modi signed an agreement to export Indian-made missiles to Indonesia, further cementing India's emergence as a regional security provider. New Delhi has already concluded similar missile deals with the Philippines and Vietnam.

India is also seeking closer ties with Indonesia because of Jakarta's influential role in the Global South. Positioning itself as a leading voice for developing nations has become a central pillar of India's foreign policy, even as China pursues similar ambitions.

New Zealand is a comparatively smaller strategic partner, but it plays a role in India's broader outreach to the Pacific island nations, an area where competition with China and access to critical minerals have become increasingly important.

According to Foreign Policy, India faces many of the same strategic challenges in the Asia-Pacific that it does closer to home. While it has strong regional partners, it must carefully navigate an environment shaped by China's expanding influence.

At the same time, the region offers opportunities that South Asia does not. Apart from China, India generally enjoys positive relations across much of the Asia-Pacific, with governments and public opinion broadly supportive of deeper engagement. This contrasts with South Asia, where anti-India sentiment has grown in several countries and some new governments have sought closer ties with Beijing.

As the arrticle points out, the Asia-Pacific also presents greater economic opportunities. Unlike South Asia, where economies remain relatively weak and regional trade integration is limited, Southeast Asia offers dynamic and rapidly growing markets. Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam—alongside Singapore—have emerged as some of India's most important economic and strategic partners in the region.

Nazrin Sadigova