NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday departed on a visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, reinforcing India’s Act East Policy.During his six-day visit to the three countries, the Prime Minister is expected to advance India’s “MAHASAGAR” vision and deepen the country’s commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.“My visit to Indonesia and Australia in the Eastern and Southern Indian Ocean, respectively, followed by New Zealand, will further strengthen India’s Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR Vision, as well as our outlook towards a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Prime Minister said in his departure statement.

What’s on agenda

Indonesia: July 6-8The Prime Minister will visit Indonesia from July 6 to 8 at the invitation of President Prabowo Subianto.This will be PM Modi’s fourth visit to the maritime neighbour and the first bilateral visit since the relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018.During his visit, he will interact with the Indian diaspora and accompany President Prabowo on a visit to the Prambanan Temple Complex in Yogyakarta, describing the UNESCO-listed site as a symbol of the deep cultural links between the two nations.Further, New Delhi will earmark dedicated training slots for Indonesian cadets and officers at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) to bolster long-term defence capacity-building.Critical mineral cooperation is also set to take centre stage during the bilateral talks. Indonesia dominates the global critical minerals sector, commanding roughly 21 per cent of the world’s nickel reserves and ranking prominently among the top global producers of copper, bauxite and tin. The Prime Minister’s visit is also expected to strengthen bilateral institutional mechanisms and trade channels in this vital sector.Jakarta’s Red and White Village Cooperatives, a government-backed rural revitalisation initiative launched by President Prabowo to establish 80,000 self-sufficient economic hubs nationwide, aim to set up essential village clinics. To ensure a steady supply of affordable medicines within these hubs, the two governments are actively working on a government-to-government (G-to-G) bulk supply framework for high-quality, cost-effective pharmaceutical products modelled on India’s “Jan Aushadhi” scheme.Greater connectivity between India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Indonesia’s Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) digital payment ecosystems is also being finalised. Once implemented, this cross-border integration will make travel, tourism, trade and financial transactions between the two countries simpler, faster and more seamless.During the visit, the Prime Minister and President Prabowo will jointly visit the Prambanan Temple Complex, celebrated as the largest temple complex dedicated to Lord Shiva in Indonesia.Looking ahead, India will also officially commemorate the centenary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s historic visit to Indonesia in 2027.Australia: July 8-10After Indonesia, PM Modi will visit Australia. He is scheduled to meet his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, and hold bilateral talks aimed at expanding the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.The Prime Minister said the discussions would focus on strengthening cooperation in defence and security, trade and investment, education, mobility, and people-to-people exchanges. He also said he looked forward to interacting with the Indian community in Melbourne, calling the diaspora an “important pillar” of the bilateral relationship.“My visit will strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and I shall, in my discussions with Prime Minister Albanese, take forward our relations in the areas of defence and security, trade and investments, education and mobility, and people-to-people ties,” he said.PM Modi said he would interact with the Indian diaspora in Melbourne, which is an important pillar of the strategic partnership.“Further, this visit will also provide an opportunity for India and Australia to deepen our bilateral ties in the areas of emerging and critical technologies, sports and sports science,” he said.New Zealand: July 10-11PM Modi’s final stop will be Auckland, where he will meet New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to build on the momentum generated by Luxon’s visit to India in March this year.The Prime Minister said the two leaders would discuss ways to further expand economic, trade and commercial engagement following the signing of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.“Our bilateral ties have seen significant contribution from the Indian diaspora, and during this visit, I look forward to addressing a large gathering of the Indian community, who have excelled in all spheres of life,” he said.