Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to  visit Malaysia to strengthen relations between the Asian neighbours, officials said today.

Singh is due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow for a three-day visit accompanied by his wife and a 16-member delegation including Trade Minister Anand Sharma and a dozen business leaders.

On his first trip to Malaysia as prime minister, Singh is expected to speak at a business forum Wednesday along with his counterpart Najib Abdul Razak.

The two leaders are also expected to hold talks on trade, education and tourism.

India was Malaysia's 12th-largest import source and 11th-largest export destination last year, with bilateral trade totalling 7.3 billion dollars, officials said.

An estimated 2.5 million ethnic Indians live in Malaysia, about 9 per cent of the population, and Singh is expected to meet with some  members of the community during his trip.

- dpa