Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s go to to the Netherlands this weekend marks an vital second within the relationship between the 2 international locations. Through the go to, an official strategic partnership is predicted to be introduced, following months of preparation.
It’s a logical step – and one in all appreciable strategic worth for each international locations. India is rising as probably the most vital financial and geopolitical gamers of the twenty first century. The Netherlands, in the meantime, performs a central function inside Europe in logistics, know-how, and worldwide commerce.
But the symbolic and political visibility of this relationship stays surprisingly restricted. Modi’s go to was solely formally confirmed at a late stage. It’s occurring throughout every week when a lot worldwide consideration is on the Beijing summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, or the BRICS summit (by the way in New Delhi). Furthermore, the Netherlands is merely one cease on a broader tour which incorporates the UAE and varied different European capitals. This displays a wider actuality: though cooperation between India and the Netherlands has grown considerably in recent times, the strategic significance of the connection largely stays underneath the general public radar.
Economically, ties have however expanded significantly. As we speak, the Netherlands is the important vacation spot throughout the European Union for Indian items exports, primarily given the central function of Rotterdam’s port as a hub for Asian imports in Europe. On the similar time, an rising variety of Dutch firms view India as a vital associate inside their “China+1” methods. As geopolitical tensions between China and the West proceed to rise, many firms are looking for to cut back their dependence on China by geographically diversifying manufacturing and funding. India is enjoying an more and more vital function in that course of.
Cooperation between the 2 international locations can be not restricted to conventional commerce. New areas are quickly gaining significance, together with semiconductors, synthetic intelligence, inexperienced hydrogen, digital infrastructure, local weather adaptation, and water administration. Significantly within the fields of know-how and innovation, the 2 economies are discovering rising areas of convergence.
This evolution is happening inside a profoundly altering worldwide context. The warfare in Ukraine, rising rivalry between america and China, and rising issues about financial dependencies have pushed many European international locations to rethink their methods. Financial safety, technological independence, and resilient provide chains now rank a lot larger on the political agenda than they did just a few years in the past, and particularly with the brand new Rob Jetten authorities.
Inside this shifting geopolitical panorama, India is changing into more and more vital for Europe. The nation combines an enormous market with a younger inhabitants, technological ambitions, and rising worldwide affect. For European international locations, cooperation with India is due to this fact not solely about commerce, but additionally about geopolitical positioning and strengthening partnerships past China.
Nonetheless, India has lengthy obtained much less strategic consideration within the Netherlands than China. Dutch coverage towards Asia traditionally targeted totally on commerce and financial pragmatism. Inside that framework, China loved precedence for a few years. India was acknowledged as an vital progress market, however much less in order a long-term strategic associate.
From the Indian facet as effectively, relations with the Netherlands remained comparatively restricted in political significance. India historically targeted its European diplomacy on bigger international locations akin to France and Germany. In New Delhi, the Netherlands was primarily considered as an financial and technological associate relatively than as a serious geopolitical actor.
Consequently, cooperation has primarily developed at a technical and financial degree. Diplomats, firms, universities, and port authorities strengthened ties, however a broader political imaginative and prescient largely remained absent. This has created a paradoxical scenario at this time: a relationship with rising strategic relevance, however and not using a sturdy political narrative or clear public profile.
But the 2 international locations complement one another remarkably effectively. The Netherlands possesses sturdy capabilities in logistics, agricultural know-how, water administration, superior business, and semiconductors. India gives scale, financial progress, technological innovation, and an more and more influential function in worldwide politics. Each international locations are additionally closely depending on open commerce routes and steady maritime connections.
Exactly for that cause, the connection has the potential to go far past financial cooperation alone. The Netherlands can proceed to function an vital gateway to Europe for India, whereas India can change into a vital associate for the Netherlands within the Indo-Pacific area, which is enjoying an more and more vital function in international energy dynamics.
Nevertheless, a real strategic partnership requires greater than commerce figures and cooperation agreements. If each international locations need to deepen their relationship sustainably, stronger political anchoring will probably be needed. Which means better consideration to parliamentary cooperation, educational change, and societal connections. The general public visibility of the connection should additionally improve in order that the partnership isn’t pushed solely by policymakers and companies.
As well as, cooperation needs to be higher embedded throughout the broader relationship between the European Union and India. That relationship was additional strengthened earlier this yr by the EU-India Free Commerce Settlement.
Europe is more and more looking for companions that may contribute to financial resilience, technological innovation, and geopolitical stability. India is changing into an ever extra vital participant in that regard.
The central query dealing with The Hague and New Delhi is due to this fact not whether or not their relationship issues. The financial and geopolitical developments of current years have already answered that query. The problem now lies within the subsequent step: can each international locations rework their rising cooperation right into a fully-fledged strategic partnership with a transparent long-term imaginative and prescient?
Modi’s go to may function an vital symbolic place to begin. In the end, nonetheless, the success of the connection will rely upon the willingness of each international locations to look past purely financial pursuits and collectively replicate on their function in a quickly altering world order.
