Key takeaways from the remarks by EAM, Dr. S. Jaishankar on India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership at the Nikkei Asia 2024 Future of Asia Forum.
India's worldview is shaped by expanding horizons and a reformist agenda, viewing a free, open, safe, secure, peaceful, prosperous, and stable Indo-Pacific as crucial for global well-being. The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership plays a pivotal role in this vision.
A strong bond with Japan, rooted in shared values, aims to mitigate international economic risks by diversifying production centers, ensuring resilient supply chains, and fostering digital trust. Both countries aspire to foster market-based and multilateral connectivity across sectors like health, agriculture, technology, and manufacturing. As major Asian economies, India and Japan are committed to enhancing regional stability through defense cooperation and peaceful dispute resolution.
The alignment between India's Act-East Policy, Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, and Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision, along with support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, highlights shared strategic objectives.
The bilateral partnership spans various domains, including Industrial Competitiveness, Clean Energy, Digital Collaboration, and Semiconductor Supply Chains. Realizing the full potential of these collaborations requires deeper commitment and perseverance.
Japan's significant role in India's development, including projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed railway, underscores the importance of furthering bilateral relations. Both nations aim to achieve a 5 trillion yen Japanese investment in India by 2027.
While trade and commercial relations with Japan have room to grow, concerted efforts are needed to enhance language skills, facilitate talent mobility, boost tourism, and promote educational exchanges.
India's focus on becoming a global hub for innovation and manufacturing presents opportunities for Japanese businesses to co-innovate and co-produce. The 2024 "India-Japan Year of Tourism Exchange" is expected to strengthen people-to-people ties.
Globally, India and Japan advocate for a reformed multilateralism, collaborating within the Quad framework and supporting reforms to the United Nations Security Council.
In conclusion, as the contours of multipolarity become more evident, India stresses the importance of cooperation and coordination in Asia. Embracing engagement, dialogue, and reformed multilateralism, India commits to working with Japan and other Asian partners to ensure a secure, sustainable, and prosperous future for the region.
(Source: MEA India release)