Quad and Beyond: India’s Global Outreach
In this week's edition, I discuss Indian EAM’s visits to Spain and the UAE, the Singaporean President’s state visit, India-Indonesia relations and the Quad Foreign Minister’s meeting.
Credits: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
Visit of External Affairs Minister to Spain
Dr. S. Jaishankar's marked his first visit to Madrid as External Affairs Minister this month on January 14th. Along with meeting King Felipe VI and President Pedro Sánchez, he held discussions with Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Defense Minister Margarita Robles. The leaders reviewed cooperation in trade, defence, tourism, and emerging sectors like digital technology and renewable energy.
Two MoUs were also signed during this visit: Cooperation in Sports and Sustainable Urban Development, focused on sharing best practices and technologies for urban planning and sustainability.
At the invitation of PM Modi, President Pedro Sánchez undertook an official visit to India in October 2024, a first by a Spanish President to India in 18 years. Accompanied by ministers and a high-level business delegation, the visit was important in renewing bilateral relations.
One of the highlights was the joint inauguration of the Final Assembly Line Plant for C-295 aircraft in Vadodara, a collaboration between Airbus Spain and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. This signified a major advancement in defence-industrial cooperation. The plant is set to produce 40 aircraft in India, with the first rollout expected in 2026.
The year 2026 was also designated as the Year of Culture, Tourism, and AI, to promote cultural understanding and reciprocal investments in areas of hospitality, architecture and tourism.
State Visit of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to India
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's state visit to India marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore. He received a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and met with President Droupadi Murmu, who hosted a state banquet in his honour.
In Bhubaneswar, the President met with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to discuss Odisha's economic strategies and opportunities. He also visited the World Skills Centre, established with support from Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education Education Services, and a vaccine manufacturing plant operated by Bharat Biotech.
This visit builds on that of PM Modi’s to Singapore in September 2024 during which the two countries signed MoUs to enhance collaboration in semiconductors, digital technologies, skill development, and healthcare. Singapore is India’s largest trade partner in the ASEAN and is also one of the largest sources of FDI in India.
Talking about ASEAN..
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was honoured as the chief guest at India's 76th Republic Day celebrations. The visit also coincided with the 75th Anniversary of India-Indonesia diplomatic relations. As reflected in this exhaustive joint statement, both leaders discussed strengthening defence collaboration, enhancing economic cooperation and cultural and digital Integration.
Several MoUs were signed to enhance cooperation in various sectors:
Health Cooperation: An MoU between India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Indonesia's Ministry of Health to collaborate on healthcare initiatives.
Maritime Safety and Security: A renewed agreement between the Indian Coast Guard and Indonesia's Maritime Security Agency (BAKAMLA) focusing on crime prevention, search and rescue operations, and capacity building.
Traditional Medicine Quality Assurance: An MoU between India's Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homeopathy and Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority to ensure the quality of traditional medicines.
Digital Development: Collaboration between India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs to advance digital infrastructure and services.
Indonesia is India's second-largest trading partner in the ASEAN region. However, the trade heavily favours Indonesia due to India’s large-scale imports of natural resources like coal and palm oil. The leaders agreed to convene meetings to resolve outstanding tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade and expedite the ongoing review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) by 2025.
Indian Foreign Minister’s Visit to UAE
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is currently undertaking an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This visit aims to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE.
Trade between India and the UAE reached more than $80 billion in the fiscal year 2023-24. The UAE stands as India's third-largest trading partner and second-largest export market, Conversely, India is the UAE's second-largest trading partner, with imports surpassing $48 billion.
In December 2024, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited New Delhi for the 4th India-UAE Strategic Dialogue and the 15th Joint Commission Meeting. Both ministers underscored the significance of enhancing collaboration across diverse sectors, including space, healthcare, food security, aggrotech, logistics and supply chains.
Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting 2025
The foreign ministers of Australia, India, and Japan and the US met in Washington D.C., on January 21, after Trump’s inauguration. Hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the engagement clearly signalled the administration's focus on Indo-Pacific affairs. The region remains a top priority for the US, and a meeting this early in the term also demonstrates the resilience of the Quad as an institutional framework despite leadership changes in both the US and Japan.
The ministers emphasised their dedication to upholding international law, ensuring economic opportunity, and maintaining peace, stability, and security across all domains, including maritime, cyber, and space. As India prepares to host the leaders’ summit this year, regularly evaluating the Quad's initiatives is essential to ensure it contributes constructively to regional stability.
What We’re Reading and Listening to
[Podcast] Listen to this episode of All Things Policy, where Manoj Kewalramani and Anushka Saxena discuss how The Dealmaker Returns to Negotiate a New World Order
[Video] Tune into this week's Global Express with Ambassador K P Fabian and China expert Anushka Saxena to discuss the evolving dynamics of US-India relations under Trump 2.0 and the implications for China.
[Book] With Big Tech very visible in the background, read Renée DiResta’s “Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality”, a compelling investigation into the machinery of power and influence in the digital age through the creation of personalised realities