Reporter Zhao Enting.
The United States ** Biden missed a "good opportunity", he could have used his visit to India to win over partners to help the "Indo-Pacific strategy", but he had to devote himself to this year's top priority - seeking re-election in the ** election, so he politely declined the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Modi to visit.
Modi and Biden are both facing ** this year, and compared to Biden's uncertain election situation, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to continue its strength in this year's parliamentary elections. In Modi's view, inviting Biden to visit India and observe the Indian Republic Day parade as the guest of honor is undoubtedly a plus before April-May.
On January 26, during France's visit to India, Macron shared a photo with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.
But Biden's absence didn't hurt, Modi turned around and sent an invitation to France's Macron, who happily accepted the invitation and visited India on January 25-26, where he was warmly entertained by Modi. During this period, India and France signed 16 cooperation documents and declarations in the fields of national defense, aerospace, and civil nuclear energy.
For decades, India has embarked on a balanced diplomatic path in its foreign relations based on a policy of non-alignment, especially under Modi.
India has maintained close ties with Russia, which is one of the main markets for Russian military equipment exports, with about 40% of India's imports** of equipment coming from Russia between 2018 and 2022. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States and the West imposed sanctions and an oil embargo on Russia, and pressured India to join the sanctions. But Modi was unmoved, instead importing Russian oil in large quantities.
Since Trump put forward the so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy", he has regarded India as one of his important fulcrums, and has won over India by taking actions such as solidifying and upgrading the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" mechanism between the United States, Japan, India and Australia. However, this does not change India's continued pursuit of diplomatic balance and flexibility among the great powers.
In fact, this strategy maximizes India's interests while also enhancing India's international status and influence on international affairs, which is precisely in line with India's long-standing "great power ambition". At the same time, India is also avoiding over-reliance on one party, for example, in terms of arms purchases, although Russian-made equipment is still the mainstream, its proportion has been declining, between 2018 and 2022, 27% of India's imports of ** equipment came from France, 12% from the United States.
Rafale fighter jet imported by India from France. (Expansion Pack).
France is an important grasp of India's balanced diplomacy, and the two countries established a strategic partnership as early as 1998, when France's **Chirac visited India, France became India's first strategic partner. India is a major regional power with ambitions to become a global power, while France, a Western power with a tradition of independent diplomacy, is also seeking to revive France's global influence, and it supports India's candidacy to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
In July last year, Modi visited France and was invited to watch the Bastille military parade, where Indian elements were present and Indian soldiers flew in formation of French Rafale fighter jets. Back in 2006, India and France signed a defense cooperation agreement. In July 2009, Indian soldiers appeared at a military parade in France, which was the first time India participated in a military parade in another country. In 2016, French soldiers also appeared at the Republic Day parade in India, which was the first time that a foreign team participated in the parade.
That visit was Modi's fifth to France since he became India's prime minister in 2014. Until then, India has decided to purchase 26 Rafale fighters and three Scorpene-class conventional submarines from France. Previously, India had ordered 36 Rafale fighters from France in 2018.
Macron's trip to India at the end of January this year was his third visit to India since he became France** in 2017. France is also the country that has been invited as the guest of honour to attend the Republic Day parade in India the most times, in 1976, 1980, 1998, 2000, 2016 and 2024.
On January 26, Macron and India's ** Murmu arrived at the parade site by horse-drawn carriage.
Maintaining relations with India is also in line with France's regional strategy. As early as 2008, France's "Defense and Defense" included the Indian Ocean and East Asia as the focus of attention. The 2013 edition of the article reaffirmed the role of the Indian Ocean as a gateway to Eurasia, noting that France should seize the potential opportunities in the region. In May 2018, a year after taking office, Macron proposed the French version of the "Indo-Pacific Strategy", that is, the "Paris-New Delhi-Canberra" axis, of which India is an important part.
France has many overseas territories in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific region, such as Reunion Island and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, and French New Caledonia and French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean, so France has vast overseas interests such as exclusive economic zones in the Indo-Pacific region. To this end, the French army has stationed about 7,000 soldiers, 15 ships and about 40 military aircraft at military bases in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
France's "Indo-Pacific strategy" has suffered setbacks. In September 2021, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia jointly announced a new trilateral security partnership, under which the United States and the United Kingdom will help the Australian Navy build nuclear submarines. To this end, Australia tore up a previously signed contract for 12 conventional submarines, worth more than $60 billion, without prior notice to France. The incident caused relations between France and Australia to fall to a low point, and France recalled its ambassador to Australia in a rare move.
It was not until June 2022, when Albanese became Prime Minister of Australia, that Franco-Australian relations gradually restarted and the two sides resumed high-level interaction. In this turmoil, India's pivotal role in France's "Indo-Pacific strategy" has become more prominent. Macron's second term ends in 2027, and Modi is expected to continue leading India after parliamentary elections in April-May this year, followed by close ties between France and India.
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