Issue 248 丨India, Bhutan, Nepal Dynamic Weekly www.deekpay.com

## India's Foreign Relations Watch: Close Co-operation and Strategic Gaming Recently, India has been making a lot of moves in the diplomatic and defence fields, showing a proactive and aggressive stance. From its close relationship with Australia to its strategic cooperation with Russia, from its tough stance on the China border issue to the adjustment of its foreign policy towards Nepal, India is striving to maximise its own interests in the complex international environment. India-Australia relations heating up In a recent interview with the Indian media, Australia's High Commissioner to India, Mr Green, spoke highly of India-Australia relations, saying that they are at a "high point" and that this year has been a "landmark year". Both sides in the Indo-Pacific region of strategic consistency, complementary economic areas and close movement of people and other factors to promote the rapid development of relations between the two countries. Green emphasised that India would be Australia's "most important partner" in the Indian Ocean region. India-Russia relations deepen Russian President Vladimir Putin recently praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an investment forum in Moscow, saying Modi's tough stance in defence of national interests was the "main guarantor" of stability in India-Russia relations. India's insistence on importing crude oil from Russia has been criticised by the West, which has deepened ties despite Western sanctions against the country. India's foreign minister, Mr Sujeet Singh, has said that Indo-Russian relations have "saved" India on many occasions. Tensions between India and China India's foreign minister Su Jiesheng recently talked about the India-China border issue in public, pointed out that the border situation is "exceptionally difficult", and stressed that the current India-China relations "is not normal". He said that bilateral relations cannot return to normal if peace in the border area is disturbed. Friction in Indo-Sri Lankan relations The Sri Lankan Navy recently detained 25 Indian fishermen for "illegal poaching", triggering renewed tensions between the two countries over fishermen's fishing rights. In July this year, Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe during his visit to India, Modi consulted with him on the issue of fishermen's fishing rights and stressed that a "humanitarian" position should be taken. Indo-European relations accelerate Swiss Ambassador to India Ralph Heckner is optimistic that the India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) deal will be finalised before the 2024 elections. He said the two sides have engaged in intensive negotiations and the agreement will unlock innovation and investment opportunities. India-UK relations advance Senior British government officials recently arrived in New Delhi, India, to hold discussions with the Indian side on the India-UK FTA. Both sides are heading towards an election year and the Modi government hopes to finalise the FTA negotiations by the end of February. India's Mineral Strategy India's Mines Minister Prabhupada Joshi has said that India is forging global partnerships in the minerals sector with a number of countries to ensure supply of key minerals. India has joined the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) and actively maintains bilateral and multilateral partnerships with various countries. Indian diplomacy denies India's Ministry of External Affairs has denied media reports that it had sent a "secret memo" to its embassies in North America asking for "concrete measures" against Canadian Sikh separatist leader Nijjar. India Artificial Intelligence Summit The Global Artificial Intelligence Partnership Summit was recently held in New Delhi. Inaugurating the event, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that people's trust in AI will only grow if ethical, economic and social issues are addressed. India's Defence Dynamics Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is planning to export its Glory fighters to Egypt, Argentina and Nigeria. In addition, the Indian Army held a joint military exercise with the Vietnamese Army, which the Indian media said was related to India's and Vietnam's shared concern over China's actions in the South China Sea. India's Defence Minister Singh put forward a proposal to rename the Indian Air Force (IAF) as the Indian Aerospace Force (IAF), which is expected to be adopted soon. India's internal affairs development India's Finance Minister Sitharaman said that over the past five years, some 135 million people have been lifted out of "multidimensional poverty". Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Gujarat International Finance Tec-City will be a "global centre for sustainable finance and services". India's Defence Minister Singh said that India has the capacity to positively impact other countries. The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) is poised to replace the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as one of the world's largest exchanges, signalling global investor optimism about India's economic prospects. Modi emphasised that India is poised for leapfrogging and that India's younger generation must be prepared to put the nation's interests first. Bhutan Dynamics Royal Bhutan Army Chief Operations Commander Batu Zelin recently led a delegation to the UN Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping and reiterated Bhutan's commitment to the peacekeeping agenda. There are reports in the Indian media of "unauthorised" Chinese activities on the China-Bhutan border. Bhutan demonstrated its strong and proactive stance on climate change at the COP28 summit. Nepal News Nepali think-tankers have questioned the feasibility of a cross-border railway between China and Nepal, arguing that the construction of the railway faces enormous geopolitical and construction challenges. For their part, Nepalese government officials have emphasised the need for Nepal to formulate its foreign policy in accordance with its national interests. India's activism in the international arena is a combination of its willingness to strengthen cooperation with all parties and its determination to safeguard its own interests and address challenges. It will be interesting to see how India weighs its relations with all parties, how it resolves its domestic problems and how it realises its vision of a "Developed India 2047" in the future.