The French connections

The French connections

Context

Growing partnership and cooperation between India and France

Long relationship

• Both India and France share a similar world view
• Cooperation in the space sector has continued since the 1960s when France helped India set up the Sriharikota launch site, followed by liquid engine development and hosting of payloads
• France was the first P-5 country to support India’s claim for a permanent seat in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council

Concerns regarding China

There has been a growing convergence of interests in maritime cooperation. Like India, France has expressed concern about China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean Region

Indo-French Cooperation

Nuclear agreement

• The agreement on the industrial way forward between NPCIL and EdF affirms that work at Jaitapur will commence before the end of 2018
• Equally significant are the two agreements signed between EdF and other French entities and L&T and Reliance, respectively, reflecting the engagement of Indian industry

Growing trade: The signing of nearly $16 billion worth of agreements at the business summit indicates that private sectors in both countries are beginning to take notice.

Entry point to Europe: Now with Brexit approaching, Mr. Macron cleverly pitched that India should look at France as its entry point for Europe and Francophonie (French speakers, collectively; the French-speaking world)

Smart Cities: The flagship programme of Smart Cities in which France is focussing on Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry is taking shape as more than half the business agreements signed related to electric mobility, water supply, waste management and smart grids

Educational links

• Currently about 2,500 Indians go to France annually to pursue higher education, compared to more than 250,000 from China.
• A target has been set to raise it to 10,000 by 2020.
• The agreement on mutual recognition of academic degrees and the follow-on Knowledge Summit, where 14 MoUs between educational and scientific institutions were signed, is a welcome move.

Tourism

• A target of a million Indian tourists and 335,000 French tourists has been set for 2020.

Conclusion

The Strategic Partnership has already created a solid foundation; other aspects have now received the much needed focus and with proper implementation, it can add to the growing strategic convergence that draws India and France together.