KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 31 -- The Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) is looking to tap into India's cybersecurity expertise and its strengths in science, technology, and innovation.

At the Asean-India informal meeting today, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the bloc aims to deepen its partnership with India in two key areas - cybersecurity and digital defence, as well as defence industry and innovation.

Khaled said Asean countries regard India as a "superpower in its own right", defined not by conventional military strength like the United States or China, but by its mastery of science, technology, and innovation.

"And for Asean, India stands as the global brain trust of scientific innovation and knowledge...