Areas of cooperation
- Political/foreign relations: France is India’s reliable partner on issues relating to terrorism and Kashmir.
- France supports India’s for a seat as a permanent member of the UNSC and multilateral export control regimes (accession to MTCR in June 2016, Wassenaar Arrangement in 2017, the Australia Group in January 2018).
- at multilateral bodies: India support to France’s candidacy at the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA); France’s chairing of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in 2020
- Space
- joint mission of India’s Oceansat-3 satellite, Trishna satellite for thermal infrared imaging.
- inter-planetary missions to Mars and Venus.
- Joint Vision for Space Cooperation, 2018 constellation of micro-satellites for maritime surveillance.
- CNES ISRO for training programmes and bioastronautics for a human space flight- (Gaganyaan) by 2022.
- Defence relations
- France contribute to the “Make in India” programme in the defence sector.
- The first conventional submarine, Scorpene being built in India with transfer of technology and support from DCNS.
- India’s acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets
- Counter terrorism: Terror strikes in France by home-grown terrorists have enlarged the scope of counter-terrorism cooperation to include cyber security and discussions on radicalisation.
- Maritime security cooperation/ Indo-Pacific region: bilateral naval Exercise Varuna and exchange of information in the area of maritime surveillance.
- French military bases in Djibouti, Abu Dhabi, and Reunion Island can be force multiplier for India, along with India’s naval facilities in Oman (Duqm), Mauritius and Seychelles (Assumption Island)
- Mutual Logistics Support Agreement India access to French naval base in Djibouti to refuel
- economic
- Bilateral Trade in Goods
- French Investments in India: France is the 10th largest foreign investor in programme of Smart Cities.
- Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) Tripartite Agreement with French National Railways (SNCF) & AFD support Railway Station Development Program in India.
- Nuclear field: agreement for six EPR nuclear power reactors
- Educational relations: about 2,500 Indians go to France annually to pursue higher education, compared to more than 250,000 from China.
- Tourism: target of a million Indian tourists and 335,000 French tourists has been set for 2020.
- Combating climate change: cooperation under the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change jointly launched the International Solar Alliance.
Significance of a deepening alliance For India
- Alignment of outlooks: India stands to benefit by deepening ties with a partner that shares its ideals of multilateralism, pluralism and a non-military, deterrence-based policy.
- Furthermore, it gains an ally that shares its interpretation of what constitutes the region, as India includes Gulf of Aden in the West to Burma and Thailand in the East as the Indian Ocean — a vision shared by the French.
- Defence modernization: A market to procure increasingly critical military technologies.
- For example, India can engage with France to acquire critical naval nuclear reactor technology.
- Rafale jets by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation
- New economic opportunities: set up to common ground in the Gulf to build further economic partnerships.
- Cooperation in space activities: developing maritime domain awareness including satellite navigation, space transportation, and human exploration of space.
- Additional security: Proposed Joint Patrols in the north-western Indian Ocean, which provides additional security for India.
- IORIS, the Indian Ocean Regional Information Sharing & Incident Management web-platform under EU CRIMARIO (European Union Critical Maritime Routes in the Indian Ocean), a program run with France’s support.
- Others: collaboration in other sectors such as health, education, research and innovation, energy and climate change
- International Solar Alliance (ISA), France and India can spearhead the development of multilateral initiatives which accommodate the voices of those who are most at risk.
- By cooperating within frameworks such as COVAX and ACT, France and India can work towards engaging with and defending the interests of Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs).
Instead of constricting India, AUKUS has opened a window of strategic opportunity and a chance for India to deepen its partnership with France provided it plays the cards well. By leveraging the potential of convergences, France can be India’s gateway to Europe.
Significance for France
- Closer relations with India and increased involvement in the Indian Ocean pave way for greater French engagement with the South and Southeast Asian countries.
- It would help France diversify its existing relations and also give it a greater voice in the Indo-Pacific.
- Getting a direct line and a seat at the table in what is widely regarded as the new centre of the global balance of power, would thus also give France an advantage over other European nations.
- India is a vast market for defence sales, a hyper- competitive space where French companies have struggled.
- As per data from 2013-17 (compared with the previous five years), France recorded an increase of more than 500 percent in its arms exports to India.
India-France Agree on Space Security Dialogue (SSD)
- Through SSD, both countries will arrive at a common multilateral understanding of the emerging space environment and the possible threats to the safe, secure, sustainable, and continued access to outer space.
Significance of SSD
- Indication of India’s changing space orientation: India’s civil space cooperation engagements with different countries have evolved to focus more on space security.
- To protect space assets, as the rapid growth of counter-space capabilities by China is a serious threat for India, France, Japan, and U.S.
- To address global navigation satellite system, space situational awareness, space security, sustainability of the outer space environment and collision avoidance in outer space.
- Such conversations with like-minded partners would give India a prominent leadership role in global governance.