Beyond the US-China tug-of-war: Why Malaysia is setting its sights on India’s BrahMos missiles

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced his country’s interest in the BrahMos system following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. 

Malaysia’s interest in the BrahMos air-to-surface missile system, jointly developed by India and Russia, could help diversify its defence partnerships and reduce its dependence on US and US aligned suppliers.

Closer defence cooperation with India could give Malaysia an alternative economic and security partner without having to commit itself firmly to one major power or another, a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) said.

"Better cooperation with India provides Malaysia with another important economic and security partner without Putrajaya having to decisively move into any one camp," said Kamles Kumar, associate director for Malaysia at strategic consultancy Asia Group Advisors.

India could become a valuable addition to Malaysia’s defence partnerships after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced his country’s interest in the BrahMos system following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Focus on strategic autonomy

Kamles said diversifying defence partnerships was linked to Malaysia’s effort to preserve its strategic autonomy, while cautioning that a potential BrahMos acquisition could raise concerns in Beijing.

‘Given the missile’s range and versatility, it could also affect perceptions of Malaysia’s deterrence posture in the South China Sea,’ he said, referring to the waterway where China and Malaysia have overlapping claims.

‘Putrajaya would therefore need to communicate clearly that any acquisition is intended to strengthen national defence, rather than target a particular country,’ he added.

Anwar visited New Delhi on September 12 and 13 to attend the BRICS summit, where Malaysia participated as a partner country. He later toured India and pushed for greater capital flows between the two countries.

Economic ties also in focus

Malaysia’s engagement with India extends beyond defence cooperation. Yeah Kim Leng, an economics professor at Sunway University, told SCMP that ‘Malaysia’s economic relationship with India is underdeveloped’.

Malaysia’s trade with India stood at 79.3 billion ringgit in 2025, a fraction of the more than 900 billion ringgit traded with the United States and China. This is despite the two countries signing a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024.

Eric Low, a partner at Kuala Lumpur-based strategic advisory firm Densui, said stronger Malaysia-India ties were not necessarily about moving away from China or the United States.

‘Strengthening Malaysia-India ties in this regard is not so much about shifting away from China or the United States, but rather, expanding Malaysia’s economic and strategic options and position, especially for the long term,’ he said, according to SCMP.

(with agencies inputs)

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