Mr Yudhoyono made a three-day state visit to India in late January, strengthening ties between two leading members of the G20 group of major economies. Visiting the Indian capital, New Delhi, Mr Yudhoyono attended India's Republic Day military parade as a guest of honour. He also oversaw the expansion of military co-operation agreements and the signing of new commercial agreements that seek to channel Indian investment worth US$15bn into mining and infrastructure projects in Indonesia. The two countries are seeking to increase annual bilateral trade to US$25bn by 2015, up from US$12bn in 2010. The visit built on the achievements that were made during Mr Yudhoyono's previous trip to India in 2005, when he signed a joint declaration on strategic partnerships.

Commercial deals that have been signed during Mr Yudhoyono's latest visit will pave the way for investment by India's growing swathe of large domestic companies that are now striking out on international ventures. There are a number of investment projects planned for Indonesia by Indian firms, including a US$4bn project to build two airports, a US$1.8bn investment programme to build a coal railway and a port, and a US$3bn project to build a steel mill. In addition to bilateral co-operation, commercial ties between Indonesia and India have been boosted by a free-trade agreement between India and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which took effect in mid-2009.