Vive la Nouvelle Architecture, How India and France Are Building a Partnership for the Future
When Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron met at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai on Tuesday, the symbolism was carefully layered. India’s financial and creative capital, not to mention its gateway to the world, was the backdrop for Macron’s fourth state visit to India. But this visit carries a particular resonance. Macron has come not only for bilateral diplomacy but to co-chair the AI Impact Summit in Delhi.
Exactly a year ago, Modi had travelled to Paris to co-chair the AI Action Summit alongside Macron. The French embassy put it simply: “Reciprocal invitations to each other’s AI summits underline the deep trust in the India-France partnership.” That trust, accumulated across eight years and deepened summit by summit, now has a 21-point outcome statement to show for itself.
India and France have elevated their ties to a “special global strategic partnership,” a new diplomatic tier that signals both the depth of existing bonds and the ambition of what both sides intend to build. The 21 outcomes are, in essence, a blueprint to close the gap between aspiration and delivery, fast.
Defence: From Transaction to Co-Creation
The centrepiece of the partnership remains defence. France has long been India’s most willing partner in this space, offering not just platforms but also technology transfer—the rarest of commodities in global arms trade. Tuesday’s announcements deepened that commitment in three significant ways.
First, the renewal of the defence cooperation agreement for another ten years provides a stable framework for long-term planning. Second, reciprocal deployment of officers between Indian and French armies will build institutional relationships and mutual understanding at the operational level. Third, and most significantly, the constitution of a joint advanced technology development group creates a structural mechanism to co-develop cutting-edge military technologies, rather than simply transact in finished platforms.
This shift from transaction to co-creation is fundamental. It moves the relationship from buyer-seller to partner-partner, from dependence to interdependence, from consumption to co-production.
The Rafale, of course, looms large. The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared 114 Rafale jets, the majority to be manufactured in India. But the smarter read is that the Rafale is now almost a legacy item, and the real game lies ahead: joint engine development for next-generation fighters, the maritime Rafale for the Indian Navy, and HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) precision-guided missile production in India through a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Ltd and France’s Safran.
The BEL-Safran partnership exemplifies what Atmanirbhar Bharat truly demands: not import substitution but genuine co-creation. It is not about making things that were previously imported; it is about making things that have never been made before, together.
Nothing illustrates this more than the joint inauguration of the Airbus-Tata H125 helicopter assembly line at Vemagal, Karnataka. Modi described it as producing “the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Everest,” now made in India and ready for global export. This is not a one-off assembly line; it is a statement that India can be a manufacturing hub for advanced aerospace platforms, serving not just domestic needs but global markets.
AI: Shaping the Global Architecture
On AI, the two leaders moved from symbolism to architecture. The ongoing AI Impact Summit, anchored on the “three sutras” of people, planet, and progress, is India’s statement that the Global South won’t merely consume the AI revolution but help shape it. France’s participation is philosophically aligned: both nations signed the Paris Action Summit’s declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI last year, and have consistently argued for a model of AI governance that rejects hegemony, technological or otherwise.
The announcement of an Indo-French Centre for AI in Health, an Indo-French Centre for Digital Science and Technology, and a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics demonstrates that the partnership is moving from declaration to implementation. These are not just talking shops; they are institutions designed to produce tangible outcomes.
The AI partnership is particularly significant because it offers an alternative to the binary choice between American and Chinese models of AI development. India and France advocate a “third way”—open, inclusive, and human-centric—that protects sovereignty while encouraging innovation. Whether this approach can shape global norms remains uncertain, but the commitment to try is itself a statement.
Beyond Defence and AI: The Breadth of Partnership
The remaining outcomes span a telling range: a joint declaration of intent on critical minerals essential to both defence supply chains and clean energy; a Centre on Advanced Materials between India’s Department of Science and Technology and France’s National Centre for Scientific Research; cooperation in biotechnology and infectious diseases; a skilling centre of excellence in aeronautics; and France’s commitment to host 30,000 Indian students by 2030.
The breadth is not scatter—it is strategy. A partnership running through laboratories, assembly lines, AI campuses, and university exchanges cannot be dismantled by any single geopolitical disruption. It is woven into the fabric of both societies, creating constituencies with a stake in its success.
The commitment to host 30,000 Indian students by 2030 is particularly noteworthy. Education is not just about skills; it is about relationships. Students who study in France will return to India with an understanding of French society, culture, and ways of thinking. They will form a bridge between the two countries for the rest of their careers.
Critical Minerals: The New Geopolitics
The joint declaration on critical minerals deserves special attention. These minerals—lithium, cobalt, rare earths—are essential for both defence supply chains and clean energy technologies. Their supply is currently concentrated in a few countries, creating strategic vulnerabilities.
By working together on critical minerals, India and France are seeking to diversify supply chains, develop processing capabilities, and ensure that their industries are not held hostage by any single supplier. This is not just an economic issue; it is a national security issue.
Conclusion: Architecture, Not Wish List
The 21 outcomes from Mumbai are not a wish list. They are, point by point, the architecture of a partnership that both sides have decided to actually build. Each outcome is a commitment to a specific project, a specific institution, a specific pathway to cooperation. Together, they create a structure that can withstand the stresses and strains of a turbulent world.
France and India have been building this partnership for eight years, summit by summit, project by project. The trust accumulated over that time is now being translated into concrete outcomes. The architecture is taking shape. Vive la nouvelle architecture.
Q&A: Unpacking the India-France Partnership
Q1: What is the significance of elevating ties to a “special global strategic partnership”?
This new diplomatic tier signals both the depth of existing bonds and the ambition of what both sides intend to build. It goes beyond routine diplomatic language to indicate a relationship that is truly exceptional—one that spans defence, technology, education, and critical minerals. It creates a framework for long-term cooperation that can survive changes in government and shifts in the geopolitical landscape.
Q2: How is defence cooperation evolving beyond traditional buyer-seller relationships?
The partnership is shifting from transaction to co-creation. Key developments include renewal of the defence agreement for ten years, reciprocal officer deployments, and a joint advanced technology development group for co-developing military technologies. The BEL-Safran joint venture for HAMMER missile production and the Airbus-Tata helicopter assembly line exemplify genuine co-creation—making things together that have never been made before, rather than simply assembling imported components.
Q3: What is the “third way” on AI that India and France advocate?
India and France advocate a model of AI governance that rejects both American corporate concentration and Chinese state-centric control. They seek regulatory frameworks that protect sovereignty while encouraging innovation, and argue that the Global South should shape the AI revolution rather than merely consume it. The Indo-French Centre for AI in Health and Centre for Digital Science and Technology are institutional mechanisms to put this philosophy into practice.
Q4: Why is the joint declaration on critical minerals significant?
Critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earths are essential for both defence supply chains and clean energy technologies. Their supply is currently concentrated in a few countries, creating strategic vulnerabilities. By working together, India and France aim to diversify supply chains, develop processing capabilities, and reduce dependence on any single supplier. This addresses both economic and national security concerns.
Q5: What is the strategic value of France’s commitment to host 30,000 Indian students by 2030?
Education creates long-term relationships that transcend any single government or policy. Students who study in France return to India with deep understanding of French society, culture, and ways of thinking. They form a human bridge between the two countries, populating businesses, academia, and government with people who have personal connections to France. This soft power investment pays dividends for decades.
