China-Japan Relations: Building Bridges
From a high-voltage tension that had besieged China-Japan relations throughout last year, mostly pivoted around maritime disputes, the two top economies of Asia have come a long way by taking …
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Hannover Messe: Betting on The India Story
There is no show like Hannover Messe – cutting-edge technology and innovation blends with enterprise and ingenuity to bring together the world’s leading players in industry and high engineering to this German town every year. This year, Hannover Messe will have a special guest – India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the spotlight will be on the unfolding story of India’s resurgence and renewal.
It promises to be an evening to remember as Prime Minister Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will formally open the Hannover Messe 2015 on April 12. Looking on will be a galaxy of the world’s leading industrialists and players in high technology from over 100 countries. The next day, Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the sprawling 7000-square meters India Pavilion amid much fanfare, singing and beating of drums. More than 400 Indian companies, including IT giants Infosys and TCS, will be showcasing their innovations at the fair. More than 100 Indian top business honchos, Union and state-level ministers, Chief Ministers of various state will be present at this showpiece event of technology, industry and engineering.
The Hannover Fair this year will underscore key overarching themes of Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Germany and his trip to Europe: Make in India, Smart Cities, Skill India, business and technology. These core themes will also frame full-spectrum talks between the leaders of India and Germany in Berlin on April 14.
In this journey of remaking India, Germany, Europe’s most powerful economy and an engineering giant, is India’s preferred partner, and will remain so for years to come. It’s time for India to fly, and India is itching to reclaim its place under the global sun.
Culture Connects: India, France bond over yoga, Ayurveda, urban heritage
Paris the Beautiful, beloved of poets, boulevardiers, philosophers and painters. Paris has long been regarded as the cultural capital of Europe, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip would not be complete without forging enduring cultural connections.
The mutual cultural attractions spurred India and France to sign four pacts on preservation and showcasing of urban heritage, the promotion of traditional medicines like Ayurveda and promotion of tourism.
Preservation and promotion of Indian heritage has been on Prime Minister Modi’s agenda since he took office. Remodeling of the Sabarmati river front, his intention to renovate Varansai on the lines of Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto, cleaning of river Ganga (Namami Gange), all come within the rubric of rejuvenating cities, while preserving their cultural component. This feature is very prominent in European cities, and exemplified in Paris.
France has been a pioneer in conservation of monuments, excavations, collection of artefacts and very importantly, making cultural awareness a part of the public psyche. The French ethos holds art and culture in very high esteem, and public reverence and pride attached with their country’s unique culture showcases this unique heritage. Noting this there have been agreements to develop social capital by training a diverse range of professionals. The agreements included a pact on training Indian heritage professionals between the Ministries of Culture.
India, France lock into green embrace
Clean and Green is set to be the new mantra of the emerging India-France partnership in sustainable development. Ahead of the Paris global climate change summit, French President Francois Hollande announced 2 billion euro investment by French companies to promote green technologies in India and signed two pacts with Asia’s leading oil-dependent economy in areas of energy efficiency.
Unveiling the 2 billion euro green push by France, Mr Hollande said, with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his side, that France needs India’s support to make the climate summit successful to be hosted by Paris in December this year.
“We are perfectly in step over climate change. We need India’s support and leadership for the global climate summit to be successful,” said the French leader.
Mr Modi, an ardent proponent of harmonious living and sustainable development, assured the French leader of New Delhi’s unflinching support for combating global warming.
The focus on green energy was evident in the pact signed by the two countries on the extension of credit facility by Agence Française de Développement for India’s Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) promoting use of LED lighting in selected Indian municipalities;
Read MoreFrom Rafale & nuclear energy to commerce & culture, India-France ties ride high
PARIS: The radiant smiles said it all: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande sported ‘Paris in April’ radiance as they unveiled 17-odd pacts in areas ranging from civil nuclear energy, defence and space to smart cities, business, tourism and the promotion of cultural heritage.
Celebrating this new spring in the multi-hued India-France relations, the two leaders went on a boat ride on the lovely Seine caressed by the gently fading sun. It was a time for bonding, camaraderie, small talk and big dreams.
The new Rafale deal was easily the show-stealer as Mr Modi announced at a joint press conference on April 10 with the French president that India will buy 26 Rafale jets from France in fly-away condition, ending months of “deal or no deal” speculation that has stalked this multi-billion dollar plan. The announcement triggered a wave of jubilation among the top French leadership, with Mr Hollande profusely thanking the Indian prime minister for his decision to do the 36-jet deal in an inter-governmental agreement.
Mr Modi, too, has many reasons to be pleased at the big thumps-up he got from the French leadership and the elite French business community for his Make in India campaign. The business confidence in the India Story was reflected in the two round tables Mr Modi addressed on infrastructure and defence with the crème de la crème of French corporate world present at the interactive meetings. The Make in India commitment was reflected in a pact on forging cooperation between Indian and French railways for semi-high speed rail link and station renovation and pledges by French defence majors to undertake co-development of high-value weaponry.
Underscoring a striking convergence of interests on strategic issues, the leaders of India and France spoke about building closer cooperation in a host of cross-cutting areas, including terrorism, cyber security and maritime security.
New Deal: India to buy 36 Rafale jets, France bets on Modi mission
It was a piece of news French President Francois Holland was itching to hear. And he got it from the horse’s mouth. Ending months of speculation over the big-ticket defence deal, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the French leader that his government has decided to buy 36 Rafale jets “in fly-away condition as quickly as possible.” The announcement by Mr Modi at a joint press meet lit up the face of the French leader and is set to bring the smiles to Dassault, the manufacturer of Rafale, and the French defence industry.
The details of the new contract in the making are not clear, but the new deal could be valued at around $4-6 billion.
“The two leaders agreed to conclude an Inter-Governmental Agreement for supply of the aircraft on terms that would be better than as conveyed by Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process underway,” said a joint statement at the end of wide-ranging talks between Mr Modi and Mr Hollande at the majestic presidential palace, Palais de L’Elysees in the heart of Paris. The delivery of the jets would “in time-frame that would be compatible with the operational requirement of IAF,” said the statement.
The aircraft and associated systems and weapons would be delivered on the same configuration as had been tested and approved by Indian Air Force, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France, he added.
Modi showcases India’s soft power in Paris
India’s soft power glowed on a radiant spring morning in Paris. Yoga, sustainable development, cultural connections, the transformative power of education and the spirituality of Sri Aurobindo vied for the attention of a mixed audience of the French and the Indian community as Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at the UNESCO headquarters.
Amid chants of Modi, Har Har Mahadev and Vande Matram, the Indian leader, dressed nattily in bandgala suit, walked inside the UNESCO headquarters and unveiled his vision of an empowered India animated by universal education, religious pluralism, modern technology and harmony of man with nature.
He began his visit April 10 to the UNESCO headquarters by paying homage to the statue of Shri Aurobindo, India’s sage-philosopher-poet, and lauded his “belief in the unity of individual consciousness with the world outside.”
“There is much that we can learn from his humanism and spiritualism, from his belief in the unity of individual consciousness with the world outside; the enlightened purpose of education; the service of science; and, the unity of world, founded on national freedom, diversity of civilizations and autonomy of culture,” Mr Modi said.
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Bonjour Paris! Boat ride, business and new energy
Paris has rolled out the red carpet and springtime chestnut blossoms to serenade India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, kindling hopes for flowering ties and fructifying deals in a host of areas, ranging from civil nuclear energy and defence to trade and investment.
It seems nothing can wrong on this beautiful and blessed day in Paris as the leaders of India and France get ready for full-spectrum talks and a boat ride on the sinuous Seine. Paris is determined to charm Mr Modi and honoured him with a majestic welcome at Elysee Palace. It’s business from the word go as the prime minister braced for two back-to-back round tables: one with French CEOs discussing infrastructure as a theme, and the second one will deal with defence technology, France’s forte.
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Remaking of India: Dovetailing Diplomacy & Development
It’s time for making and remaking of India, an ancient rainbow civilisation transforming into a modern nation and an emerging powerhouse that is spawning a new narrative of renaissance, resurgence and renewal. The India Story is back in global circulation, with international rating agencies and bankers conjuring up cheery forecasts for growth prospects of Asia’s third largest economy. The IMF and the World Bank have already predicted that India’s economic growth will surpass that of China’s by 2016-2017, a prognosis that has been reinforced by Asian Development Bank and other trend-trackers.
The Economist has encapsulated this new mood of ‘India Optimism’ in its recent cover story entitled “A chance to fly.” The prestigious British magazine says India has a rare opportunity to become the world’s most dynamic big economy,” but adds on a cautionary note: “The potential is there; the question has always been whether it can be unleashed.”
If the potential of 1.2 billion people of India and their surging dreams has to be realised, the Modi government in India will have to walk the talk on second-generation economic reforms (and it is already doing so by going ahead with crucial reforms in a host of areas, including raising the FDI cap in insurance and telecom). But the success of the India story in the coming months and years will also depend on how New Delhi leverages its growing global stature and harnesses its external relationships and multiple strategic partnerships through smart diplomacy to stimulate an Indian renaissance.
Read MoreFrench CEOs upbeat about India Story, Make in India
PARIS: The India Story is shining bright in France, Europe’s heavyweight economy, with top French CEOs of big-ticket corporates striking an upbeat note about pouring investments into Asia’s third largest economy and voicing their enthusiasm about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India mission.
With Mr Modi’s Europe agenda being primarily economic, fittingly around 50 top CEOs of India and France brainstormed in Paris to spur the flow of two-way of investment and outlining a concrete roadmap for imparting a fresh momentum to multifarious economic relationship between the two counties.
In his interaction with the French business community, Mr Modi, who begins his four-day visit to France April 9, is expected to make a robust pitch for more French investments in a wide array of areas, including in his pet project of smart cities.
There were free and frank discussions on issues relating to investment and ease of doing business in India and France, Mr Dhruv M. Sawhney, co-chairman of Indo-French CEOs Forum and chairman & MD of Triveni Turbine Limited, told Indian journalists at Hotel Plaza Athenee in the heart of the elitist Champ Elysees.
The CEOs Forum culminated in the leaders of Indian and French business, setting up four task forces in areas of energy, water, infrastructure financing and life sciences.