Modi sets off on Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand tour to bolster Act East Policy
India's Prime Minister undertook a three-nation visit to Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand from July 6-11, 2026
The Indonesia leg (July 6-8) included engagement with the Indian diaspora and a visit to the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta
The Australia leg (July 8-10) covered Melbourne, focused on advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across defence, trade, education, and mobility
The New Zealand leg (July 10-11) took the visit to Auckland, building on bilateral momentum from an earlier reciprocal visit
The visit was framed as reinforcing India's Act East Policy, the Indo-Pacific Oceans outlook, and the MAHASAGAR vision
Act East Policy (2014)
India's Act East Policy was launched in November 2014 at the East Asia Summit in Myanmar as a more action-oriented successor to the Look East Policy, which had been initiated in 1991-92 to rebuild economic and strategic ties with Southeast and East Asia after the end of the Cold War and the onset of economic liberalisation. While Look East was primarily an economic-diplomatic outreach, Act East added a proactive strategic and security dimension, including maritime cooperation and connectivity projects with ASEAN and wider Indo-Pacific partners.
Key Details
- Look East Policy: initiated 1991, under the Narasimha Rao government, driven by economic liberalisation
- Act East Policy: launched November 2014, at the 9th East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw, Myanmar
- Core pillars: Commerce, Culture, Connectivity, and Capacity Building with ASEAN and East Asian partners
- Geographic ambit later widened beyond ASEAN to include Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the wider Indo-Pacific
The three-nation tour to Indonesia (ASEAN's largest economy), Australia, and New Zealand was explicitly described as reinforcing the Act East Policy's outreach into the eastern and southern Indian Ocean and Pacific space.
MAHASAGAR Vision (2025)
MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) is India's expanded maritime and strategic doctrine, announced in 2025, that builds upon the earlier SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision articulated in 2015. While SAGAR was focused on the Indian Ocean Region, MAHASAGAR extends the framework "across regions," integrating economic diplomacy, connectivity, and security cooperation with partners in the wider Indo-Pacific and Global South.
Key Details
- SAGAR doctrine: announced 2015, focused on Indian Ocean Region (IOR) security and growth
- MAHASAGAR: announced 2025, expands the vision beyond the IOR to the broader Indo-Pacific and Global South
- Linked to the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), announced 2019
- First large-scale operationalisation cited: a multilateral maritime exercise with African countries in April 2025
The visit to Indonesia and Australia (Eastern and Southern Indian Ocean) followed by New Zealand was described as advancing both the Act East Policy and the MAHASAGAR vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Trade Agreements
India and Australia elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, underpinned by trade liberalisation through the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), signed April 2022 and in force from December 2022 — India's first trade pact with a developed economy in over a decade. Negotiations for a more ambitious Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), covering digital trade, government procurement, critical minerals, and labour mobility, are ongoing. Both countries are also founding members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), alongside the United States and Japan.
Key Details
- ECTA: signed April 2, 2022; entered into force December 29, 2022
- Under ECTA, over 85% of Australian exports (by value) became tariff-free, rising toward higher coverage by 2026; all Indian exports to Australia became eligible for zero-duty access from January 1, 2026
- CECA negotiations aim to build on ECTA outcomes
- Quad membership: India, Australia, Japan, United States — originated 2007, revived 2017
The Australia leg of the visit was aimed at deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across defence and security, trade and investment, and education and mobility — building on the ECTA framework while CECA talks continue.
India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2018)
India and Indonesia elevated bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018, expanding cooperation into defence, maritime security, and connectivity. Indonesia, as ASEAN's largest economy, is a key partner under India's Act East Policy, with cooperation including joint naval exercises and coordinated maritime patrols.
Key Details
- Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established: May 2018
- Indonesia is India's largest trading partner within ASEAN
- Cooperation areas include defence, maritime security, and space cooperation agreements
The Indonesia leg of the tour, including diaspora engagement and cultural diplomacy at the Prambanan Temple, was aimed at reaffirming and deepening this Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
- Visit duration: July 6-11, 2026, across three countries
- Indonesia: July 6-8, hosted at the invitation of the Indonesian President
- Australia: July 8-10, Melbourne, hosted at the invitation of the Australian Prime Minister
- New Zealand: July 10-11, Auckland, hosted at the invitation of the New Zealand Prime Minister
- Act East Policy launched: November 2014, East Asia Summit, Myanmar
- India-Australia ECTA in force since: December 29, 2022
- India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established: May 2018
- MAHASAGAR vision announced: 2025, building on SAGAR (2015)