Recently, the European Union and India held a video summit, and both sides agreed to resume the 9-year stalled free trade agreement negotiations and to cooperate in infrastructure development in Africa, Central Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, in order to counterbalance the “Belt and Road” of the Chinese Communist Party. According to public opinion, the deterioration of relations with the Chinese Communist government has brought the EU and India closer to each other.
According to Radio Free Asia, the leaders of the 27 EU member states held a video summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 8. Unlike the past when only the President of the EU Executive Committee spoke with the Indian Prime Minister, this time the leaders of all member states attended the summit, indicating the EU’s renewed interest in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a statement to the media after the summit, European Council President Charles Michel said, “I am pleased to announce the opening of an important new chapter in the relationship between the EU and India, as we have agreed to start negotiations and reach agreements on trade, investment protection and geographical indications.”
According to the statement, the EU and Indian leaders agreed to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement that had been stalled for nine years with a view to reaching a trade agreement to address the current challenges facing both sides. In addition, the two sides agreed to resume the human rights dialogue after eight years. The EU stressed that for the negotiations to succeed, both sides must address market access issues.
“This EU-India summit is a milestone in the relationship,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the press, adding that “the EU and India have close relations, but there is still much potential to be tapped, the greatest of which is in the The greatest potential is in the area of trade and investment.
A press release issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs mentioned that the summit also resulted in the signing of a comprehensive connectivity partnership program that will develop infrastructure in Africa, Central Asia and Indo-Pacific regional cooperation.
According to the press release, the EU and India will seek alternatives to the Communist Party’s Belt and Road Initiative by strengthening cooperation in the areas of digital, energy, and transport, and based on the principle of social, economic, and financial sustainability.
According to a report by Radio Free Asia, even though the EU and India still disagree on many economic and trade issues, both sides will want to rebuild relations and reach a free trade agreement to strengthen economic cooperation against the increasingly dominant Chinese regime in the wake of the devastating Communist pneumonia pandemic and the deterioration of relations between the EU and the Chinese government and the possible shelving of the EU-China investment agreement.
Just a week ago, the European Parliament and the European Commission announced that they were shelving the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) between the EU and the Chinese Communist government, and that the Beijing authorities must first drop sanctions against EU parliamentarians and dignitaries.
Bernd Lange, President of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, told the media on May 4: “The agreement (CAI) has been put on our fridge and will stay there for some time.”
In addition, to help the Indian government deal with the current tsunami-like outbreak of communist pneumonia, the EU has sent about 100 million euros worth of medical equipment and medicines and will continue to provide India with medical supplies such as oxygen machines, medicines, and respirators.
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