9 April 2015

Modi and the middle powers

April 9, 2015

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France, Germany and Canada beginning Thursday should help New Delhi consolidate three of India’s very special relationships. France was the first Western power to become a strategic partner for India and can now turbocharge India’s high technology sectors. Germany is an economic powerhouse with growing political clout in Europe and beyond. Canada and India are colonial cousins, with a shared Anglo-Saxon political heritage and massive economic synergies. Canada is also home to one of our most important overseas communities.

Until now, Modi has been preoccupied with rejuvenating ties with America and China. He has had two quick summits with US President Barack Obama and is preparing for the second round with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month in Beijing. The Modi government has also sought to improve relations with neighbours in the subcontinent and reconnect with the extended neighbourhood in Asia and the Indian Ocean.

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