Johnson visit: Shoring up ties
The focus will be on coping with the fallout of the Ukraine crisis, security and trade
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the latest in a growing list of foreign leaders making a beeline for India against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, though his visit has been in the pipeline since early last year and had to be called off twice because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The conflict in Ukraine is a priority for the United Kingdom (UK), which has taken the lead in imposing sanctions on Russia’s leadership and financial system and in providing military support to President Volodymyr Zelensky so that Ukraine can fend off the invasion. But British officials have been at pains to position Mr Johnson’s visit in the context of the UK’s ambitions to play a bigger role in ensuring an open Indo-Pacific region free from coercion, and the push for the expeditious conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA) with India. Thus, Mr Johnson will certainly raise the Ukraine crisis but in a more subtle manner, especially when compared to his allies across the Atlantic and other European nations. His focus will be more on coping with the fallout of the Ukraine crisis on the global economy and international security, and more specifically, ensuring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not inspire similar actions in territorial disputes within the Indo-Pacific.
And it will be more on trade. In the post-Brexit era, the UK has been in a rush to stitch up trade deals with leading economies to shore up London’s position as a financial hub and an FTA with India will be a crowning achievement for Mr Johnson, who is grappling with the “partygate” controversy and faces a possible inquiry by the Commons Privileges Committee into whether he misled MPs about violating pandemic lockdown rules. Differences on the mobility of professionals and market access for British goods are expected to be taken up when trade negotiators meet in New Delhi next week and talks between Mr Johnson and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are expected to produce guidelines for taking matters forward.
The UK side has also talked up new investments worth £1 billion to drive home India’s importance in its long-term economic plans. Unlike other recent international engagements that included some touchy elements related to the Ukraine crisis, India is more comfortably placed for Mr Johnson’s visit though the pressure is growing to ensure that any India-UK trade deal opens up real opportunities and gives a boost to the Indian economy.