English Article

Bright Prospects for India-France Ties

PM Modi's visit has cemented the relationship, highlighted new areas for cooperation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France on May 4 is his fifth since 2015, and the 10th such high-level bilateral visit. This time, the exchange between the French and Indian leaders was especially significant. France, for instance, represented the European Union’s (EU) case on the potential India-EU Free Trade Agreement, and on the EU’s position on the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The strength and trust in the bilateral were evident in the difficult discussions on these two multilateral subjects, which were nonetheless addressed. Far easier was the bilateral-level exchange, as Paris and Delhi have a wide range of complementary and converging interests. Indeed, they have long been reliable partners, and friends in need – as recently as 2019 when the first French-built Rafale aircraft arrived in India. In the immediate, there is geopolitics to navigate. Beyond the turbulence brought on by the Ukraine crisis, India and France both believe in maintaining strategic autonomy and have a shared understanding of global risks across geographies and domains. There is already a high-quality IndiaFrance political dialogue on defence, counter-terrorism, and the Indo-Pacific. The two countries are now forging ahead with cooperation on 21st-century issues like digital, cyber, green energy, blue economy and ocean sciences and space. Both countries possess advance skills and have similar thinking in these areas and can enhance trade, and investment and together rebuild disrupted supply chains. They comprehend their respective dependencies well, especially in relation to China, Russia and the US. Here, India can play a significant diplomatic role to soften the tendency toward confrontation that is becoming ever more prevalent in the international system. Both can work to insulate the IndoPacific from the worst consequences of current conflicts.