After postponing his visit to India twice this year in light of the pandemic, UK PM Johnson held a virtual summit with PM Modi to mark the reset of bilateral ties for the new era. The two sides unveiled a ‘Roadmap 2030’ for a free trade agreement, vaccine collaboration and a migration accord that will see India take back illegal migrants from the UK in exchange for employment visas for 3,000 Indian professionals annually. In essence, UK’s exit from the European single market and customs union has freed up London to chart a more robust course in its foreign policy. This was exemplified by the review of UK’s foreign policy earlier this year that called for a shift in focus towards the Indo-Pacific and boosting alliances with countries such as India.
In the short term the focus of the bilateral relationship will remain on combating Covid which has wracked both nations – although extensive vaccinations have placed the UK in a much more comfortable position. In this regard, it’s welcome that the two countries have decided to build on the existing cooperation between Oxford-AstraZeneca and Serum Institute to produce the Covishield vaccine, and have pledged to achieve equitable global supply by April 2022.
In the long run though, the two countries must align their interests to jointly shape the Indo-Pacific region and resist China’s belligerent designs. These are also the reason why India and the UK have decided to keep Chinese companies out of sensitive areas like 5G technology. However, China is a reality that can’t be ignored either. Likeminded democracies need to combine forces to reinforce the rules-based order. If London is willing to shed its cautious approach, New Delhi too should drop its protectionist policies for bilateral economic and strategic synergies to flow.
This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
