China overarching presence in
Europe, burgeoning investments, extensive collaborations with Balkans,
increasing port capacities in the continent and the reinforced 16+1 arrangement
is generating fears among European leaders, who until recently ignored
Beijing’s lack of reciprocity in trade and investments. China’s hegemonic
maritime aspirations began to touch raw nerve of European countries.
Intriguingly as West passively witnessed China’s ruthless defiance of ruling of
Hague tribunal, undeterred Beijing aggressively embarked on aggressive maritime
expansion. Wary of Beijing undermining Freedom of navigation, at Shanghai
Dialogue in 2016, French Defense Minister warned the nations of China’s
coercive strategies. Cautioning about China’s hegemonic maritime aspirations of
China in the South China Sea (SCS) he stated, “there is a major risk in ignoring or underestimating how destabilizing
that (China’s) behavior can be”. Ever since, France had a guarded approach
towards China. China’s near complete assertion over SCS and inauguration of
first foreign base at Djibouti is compelling India to leverage its strategic
partnership for maritime security.
In 2017, upon President Emmanuel
Macron’s electoral success, Prime Minister Modi flew down to Paris from Russia
to congratulate him and expressed keen interest in expanding strategic maritime
engagement. Ever since, circumspect of growing volatility in SCS region, India
and France carried out series of high-level delegation talks to strengthen
maritime cooperation.
Like India, France an active
maritime power in both Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean since 17th and
18th centuries, has been diligently observing Dragon’s strategic
assertions. Unlike other Western countries, France has huge interests in Asia
with sizeable chunk of French expatriates residing on several islands of
Indo-Pacific islands. Further, with major Asian countries entering economic
growth trajectory, there has been a steady increase in demand. European
countries eager to seek their share in the growing trade and investment
opportunities are looking forward to engaging Asian markets making the security
of Indian Ocean a priority issue. To this end, France unequivocally reiterated
the importance of Indian Ocean for maritime access to Asia in Defence White
Paper of 2013 and described it relationship with India as “closest relationships outside NATO”. Indeed, unlike US, France had
always strived to buttress maritime presence in Indian Ocean over Pacific
Ocean.
India and France signed strategic
partnership in 1998 and ever since unambiguously supported New Delhi’s
interests. Post nuclear tests, when economic sanctions were imposed on India,
France refrained from any such posturing and instead defended India’s right to
self-defense. During the Cold war, India reluctantly engaged with the West, but
France was an exception. It was first country to enter into nuclear agreement
with India following waiver by IAEA (International Atomic Energy Arrangement).
France later worked with US for bringing India into global nuclear order.
France supported India’s permanent membership to UNSC and to the G-8 grouping. Defence
cooperation has been hall mark of Indo-French relations that grew much stronger
with the conclusion of sale of Rafale aircraft. French Companies like Dassault
Aviation, Airbus Defense and Space, The Thales have an illustrious record of
supplying defense supplies to India besides the Scorpene submarines
(Project-75). Both countries were holding joint annual trilateral exercises since
1983 and the 16th edition of Indo-French exercise Varuna is all set
to begin on March 15th. In 2015, countries have signed agreement on
maritime intelligence information sharing and Whitewater shipping agreement.
Strategists, in part, attribute strong Indo-French ties to India’s growing
defence trade with France.
France has two permanent military bases
in Abu Dhabi’s port of Mina Zayed and Djibouti, i.e., Persian Gulf and Gulf of
Aden respectively. Besides France has operating air bases in Jordan, Kuwait,
Qatar and Iraq. France has strategic assets in the Scattered Islands of
Mozambique Channel. To defend its citizens, maritime assets and to surveillance
the air routes to France, troops are stationed in the Indian Ocean’s Reunion
and Mayotte islands. Thus far, France has focused on northern, South West
Indian Ocean region but never bother about the interconnecting South Eastern
Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal Region). France keen on having holistic military
presence is designing new policies and evinced interest in multilateral
cooperation to have a sway over Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
India always had close relations
with France. Infusing more energy to the bilateral ties, both countries have
signed the logistics agreement, similar to the LEMOA (Logistics Exchange
Memorandum of Agreement) signed with US in 2016. LEMOA entitles both countries
for reciprocal use of their bases for refueling, logistics support and supplies
and facilitates authorized port visits of armed forces, joint exercises, joint
training, assistance during humanitarian crisis and disasters relief. LEMOA
thus extended India’s reach in the Indo-Pacific region. While negotiations
leading to conclusion of LEMOA with US took over decade, India and France
worked together for much lesser time to bring it to table for final ratification.
On March 11th, India and France signed “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the
Government of Republic of France for the provision of reciprocal logistics
support between their armed forces”. Both leaders welcomed, “Joint strategic vision of Indo-France
Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region” and reiterated that this
cooperation “will be crucial in order to
maintain the safety of international sea lanes for unimpeded commerce and
communication in accordance with international law, for countering maritime terrorism and piracy,
for building maritime domain awareness, for capacity building and for greater
cooperation in regional/international fora in the region”. With this
India’s ability to deploy resources in Western IOR will be immensely boosted. While
Indo-US LEMOA agreement paved way for buttressing India’s reach in the Eastern
IOR similar agreement with France will now consolidate India’s influence in
Western IOR where India lacked partners to collaborate for the crucial
anti-piracy operations.
For long India has been making
efforts to enhance maritime posture along the Mozambique Channel where China
made significant gains. India has considerable good will in the IOR countries-
Mozambique, Kenya, Seychelles and Mauritius owing to huge Indian Diaspora
presence and soft power. This agreement will cement India’s position in the
Western IOR and reciprocally, France can now alleviate its position in the
Eastern Indian Ocean region. Till now Indian Navy ships were getting refueled
at the French bases against payment. Now transfer of funds will be more
structured.
Though France is designated as
middle-power, it has globally engaged, well-trained specialized army. Being a
resident power of the region, strategist
Iskander Rehman believes, “France
is most Asian of European powers” and an extensive cooperation with France
can bode well with India’s maritime desideratum.
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