UK PM MUST ‘WALK TIGHTROPE’ TO WIN TRADE DEAL WITH INDIA

▶ Boris Johnson braves country’s Covid second wave and sensitivities of Pakistani communities

The UK Prime Minister’s trip to India this month is an “exciting moment” in which he will look to “finally move the UK relationship with India forward” after a series of false starts, an analyst said.

Walter Ladwig, a political scientist and South Asia expert at King’s College London, said Boris Johnson’s trip could provide a “visible push that gets people excited and focused” as the UK makes its tilt to the Indo-Pacific after Brexit.

Dr Ladwig told that more tangible results on trade would be fantastic but would require an “11th-hour breakthrough” after merely preliminary talks so far.

He said it was disappointing that the trip was truncated by the second wave of coronavirus infections in India.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson’s planned three-day visit would be reduced to a “shorter programme” and the bulk of meetings would take place next Monday.

The UK’s foreign policy review last month included a lengthy passage on India.

It called for stronger trade and investment links, plus greater defence and security co-operation in the Indian Ocean.

“India is going to be a key partner for anybody operating in that region,” said Aaditya Dave, a South Asia specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank.

The UK and India announced an “enhanced trade partnership” in February, but making a full free-trade deal would be “a lot more challenging”, Mr Dave said.

Also potentially on the table is a logistical support agreement between the two militaries, similar to those that India signed with countries such as South Korea and France.

UK-India defence links are fairly strong on a technical level but their defence ministers last met in 2017 and Mr Johnson will aim to provide a political impetus to the relationship, Mr Dave said.

A UK carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth will go to the Indian Ocean this year.

Dr Ladwig said a succession of British governments sought a closer partnership with India, but the “receptivity on the Indian side was not necessarily always there”.

“This relationship has had potential for so long but it’s just been largely stagnant,” he said.

“We’re now seeing very clear signals, very obvious signals, from the Modi government that they are interested in upgrading relations with the UK.

“They see the UK as being one among many states that can play an important role with respect to India and the Indo-Pacific.”

Analysts said Britain’s tougher policy on China and on Pakistani-sponsored terrorism in recent years eased some Indian doubts about co-operation with London.

The large Indian and Pakistani diasporas in the UK mean that Britain has historically sought to “walk a very tight rope” between the two countries, Mr Dave said.

“That’s always been an issue, and this is one challenge that not many other countries have to face when dealing with India,” he said.

Mr Johnson was due to attend India’s Republic Day parade in January, but the trip was postponed because of rising coronavirus cases in Britain.

London’s foreign policy review last month called for stronger trade and investment links plus co-operation on defence