Modi in France amid China sending Europe adrift
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, July 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is setting out for his France visit at a time when his ‘friend’ and French President Emmanuel Macron battles domestic turbulence over allegations of racial abuse by the police forces. Coming lose on the heels of his US visit last month, Modi will seek to deepen defence cooperation by enlisting the French support for technology transfer and accelerated co-production of the next generation fighter jets and weaponry.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, while briefing the media, said that the visit of the prime minister to Paris will be rich in substance. He also said that new benchmark will be set for strategic partnership between India and France. Modi visit to France is beginning tomorrow for two days, while he will also visit the UAE, which is also a member of I2U2, which includes India, the US, and Israel.
Macron had faced the backlash after he had rushed to Beijing to fete Chinese President Xi Jinping for assuming presidency for the record third term. Macron had followed in the footsteps of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who too had rushed to pamper Xi in his bid to shield the German exports to the Communist nation.
But Modi and Macron are known to enjoy visible bonhomie, and France has been a key defence partner for India. While Modi visit to the US saw a deal for the technology transfer of the GE jet engine, which will be deployed for the Tejas series of fighter jets, India is hoping to ink similar pact with France. The pact for technology transfer for the engine for aircrafts is on the card.
Also, procurement of 26 Naval variant of Rafale jets from France is on the card. The prime minister will also be a guest of honour at the annual Bastille Day Parade.
The Modi visit to France is also coming at a time when China has unleashed an aggressive outreach in Europe led by its top diplomat Wang Yi, who is the chairman of the foreign affairs department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), while holding a higher rank than the foreign minister Qin Gang, who is missing in action for over a week now.
The prime minister is likely to enlist the support of the Indian bid to gain a pivotal position in the global supply chains with a particular focus in the manufacturing of the critical technology-led products. Europe, which has committed to shift to electric mobility by 2035 fully, is growing worried at the disruptions of the critical supplies from China. India will like to pitch in to fill the gap for which New Delhi would seek technology transfer and investments from the tech-giants.
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