Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday, 13 July 2026 lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's multi-nation tour covering Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand, describing it as a defining moment in India's rise on the global stage. Shekhawat said the visits have injected fresh momentum into strategic cooperation, investment, and trade across the Indo-Pacific region.

Posting on X in Hindi, Shekhawat wrote: 'तीन देश, एक लक्ष्य — वैश्विक मंच पर मजबूत होता भारत!' ['Three countries, one goal — an India growing stronger on the world stage!']. He credited the tour with deepening ties built on 'trust, dialogue, and partnership,' arguing that India is steadily consolidating its role and influence internationally.

Context

Prime Minister Modi's visit spans three strategically significant nations in the Indo-Pacific arc. Indonesia, the largest economy in ASEAN, has been a cornerstone of India's Act East Policy since its articulation in 2014, with defence and trade cooperation growing steadily over successive years. Australia is a fellow Quad member and signed the landmark India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in 2022, aimed at doubling bilateral trade. New Zealand shares long-standing ties with India in dairy trade, education, and people-to-people exchanges, with free trade agreement negotiations ongoing.

Policy Backdrop

The three-nation itinerary fits squarely within India's broader multi-aligned Indo-Pacific strategy, which combines bilateral economic agreements with minilateral groupings such as the Quad. New Delhi has consistently sought to diversify supply chains and attract investment flows away from traditional markets, particularly in the post-pandemic global order. The language Shekhawat deployed — trust, dialogue, partnership — mirrors the official diplomatic vocabulary that has framed India's external engagements since 2014.

India's Act East Policy has seen successive high-level engagements at the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit, with Modi having attended both forums in Indonesia in 2018 and 2023. The ECTA with Australia marked a significant milestone, and the current tour is expected to build on that foundation by exploring further investment and sectoral cooperation.

Stakeholders and Impact

Indian exporters and business communities stand to benefit most directly from any trade or investment outcomes flowing from the visits. Sectors such as pharmaceuticals, information technology, education, and defence manufacturing have been highlighted in previous bilateral frameworks with both Australia and Indonesia. For New Zealand, the Indian diaspora and bilateral educational ties remain key pillars, with a potential FTA offering expanded market access.

Shekhawat's public endorsement also signals the ruling BJP's intent to frame the tour as a diplomatic achievement ahead of domestic audiences, reinforcing the party's 'India rising' narrative on foreign policy. Senior ministers amplifying such visits on social media has become a standard communication strategy for the government.

What's Next

Observers will watch closely for any concrete outcomes — new trade pacts, investment pledges, or defence agreements — that emerge from the three-nation tour. India's participation in the next East Asia Summit and any follow-up Quad leaders' meeting will be the next natural milestones to gauge how momentum from this visit is sustained. The tour underscores that New Delhi's Indo-Pacific calculus is increasingly about locking in structured, long-term partnerships rather than one-off summits.