To build a new 'horizon' in Indo-French ties, Paris needs to fasten implementations

The participation of French President Emmanuel Macron as the chief guest at India’s 75th Republic Day was symbolically and substantively an appreciation of the steady and growing partnership. In the last year, Modi and Macron have met several times. This included a special gesture by inviting Modi as the chief guest at the Bastille Day Parade in July 2023. After the G20 Summit in Delhi, they met again at the COP28 in Abu Dhabi. It was the sixth time that a French dignitary was the chief guest at Republic Day, a record for any country. India and France have a strategic partnership of 25 years. Under Horizon 2047, a diversifying partnership is envisaged. France is India’s best friend in Europe, a steady partner among the Permanent Five (P5) of the UN Security Council, and the most important defence partner after Russia. In India’s strategic autonomy, France plays an important role in a multipolar world that India prefers. Indian diversification from dependence on Russia for defence equipment makes France a leading alternative. It is also the strategic pole that gives India heft in the Indo-Pacific without being called upon to participate in big-power rivalry and criticise Russia or China. Macron’s visit was gracious in the sense that the French knew that India’s first choice of guest was US President Biden. That visit was to be the cornerstone of a Quad summit in India. Due to domestic compulsions, Biden desisted, thus delaying the Quad summit and opening up the Republic Day chief guest issue. Already for two years during the pandemic, there was no chief guest. At short notice, Macron accepted to be the chief guest, despite his own domestic preoccupations. Credit has to be given to the French for standing by India on such occasions. The major strength of the partnership is defence engagement, particularly the purchase of 36 Rafales, which is likely to be followed by further orders. India’s preference is for French companies to have more production in India and make India a part of the defence production supply chains. This should include the Rafales, the helicopter project, particularly the development of an engine with Safran, and submarine production and repair facilities. France should play a more active role with Airbus, with whom India has 500+ civilian aircraft orders, to open an MRO and aeropark where companies could invest in manufacturing, parts, services, and R&D for the aviation industry. India should not be treated only as among the largest markets for civilian and military aircraft. The other area where rapid growth is feasible is in space. In this sector, France has for many years been an important partner for India. This remains an area where both sides seem to agree to progress. Similarly, in the domain of civilian nuclear power, such cooperation is possible. The third important area of cooperation is the common view of the Indo-Pacific. France plus Quad are part of India’s Indo-Pacific policy, and France is associated with the maritime security aspect of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. France’s Indo-Pacific policy is to protect its island territories from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, expand engagement, particularly in the economic arena, with ASEAN and other countries in the region, and have partnerships in the Indo-Pacific that are not necessarily dependent on the US. India is at the forefront of this strategy. India and France work together around Mozambique, where both have investments in the gas sector and have dealt with insurgency in Cabo Delgado in coordination. France provides India access through existing agreements to its bases in Djibouti, Mayotte, and Reunion. India backed France for membership in IORA, while France backed India to be associated with the Indian Ocean Commission. Now, India, France, and Australia, as well as India, France, and the UAE, have set up trilateral partnerships to collaborate across the Indo-Pacific. The two Rafales from the French Air and Space Force that participated in the Republic Day flypast actually came from French deployments in the UAE. The Indo-Pacific Trilateral Development Cooperation Fund can bring sustainable development to the region, backed by Indian experience in development cooperation and French development funding, mostly through the Agence Française de Developpement (AFD). The AFD’s footprint in India is expanding along with that of the European Investment Bank. Unfulfilled expectations Despite the large hype surrounding the Indo-French partnership, there are some unfulfilled expectations. The first is that agreements that are reached take too long to fructify. The Indo-Pacific trilateral fund is one such example. India has trilateral funds with the UK and Germany already in operation in Africa. With France, the discussions are long and often mired in how French processes will be adhered to. This challenges the notion that Indian bureaucratic processes are a drag on cooperation. The unending delay in getting ahead with the Jaitapur nuclear plant is a lost opportunity. Putting speed into the implementation of what has been agreed upon, particularly in the Horizon 2047 document, is critical. Secondly, France lags behind other partners in its economic engagement with India. Compared to Germany and the UK, which are part of India’s European project, France is the most strategic partner but the least economically engaged. It is 9th in the list of 2023 FDI contributors to India, and this may rise if some of its larger investments in renewable energy fructify, but it is behind the UK at third and Germany at 8th in the RBI list. Similarly, among ODA partners, while Japan and Germany are among the leading ones, the role of France is much smaller. In trade, too, France has a smaller imprint than Germany or the UK. There is an impression that France loves India at present because of the large orders for aircraft, which sustain its defence and aircraft industry. When it comes to financing the Sustainable Development Goals, new manufacturing chains, or even climate-related funding, it is not among the leading partners. Without a much higher economic profile in engaging India, France cannot attain the enhanced stature it would like or fulfil Indian expectations. French businesses lament the lack of an India-EU Free Trade Agreement but have not found ways around it like the Germans and Nordics have to some extent. There are no signs that Paris can influence Brussels on the FTA, but at least Paris must play a much more important role in the Trade and Technology Council, on which strategic intent is now focused. To build on the wide horizon envisaged for the next 25 years, France needs to implement its stated intentions faster, encourage its companies to transfer technology to Indian operations, and open more R&D-based value chains to make India a manufacturing and services hub and a potent partner across the Indo-Pacific. The writer is a former ambassador to Germany, Indonesia, Ethiopia, ASEAN and the African Union. He tweets @AmbGurjitSingh. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.