China’s muscle flexing brings France and India together

By Ranjit Kumar Amid simmering military tensions between India and China over Ladakh, France has slammed Beijing, pointing out that Paris supports New Delhis security concerns including Kashmir.
“Whether it be on Kashmir, we’ve been supportive of India in the security concern. We haven’t let the Chinese play any kind of procedural games. When it comes to the Himalayas, check our statements, they are perfectly clear. What we say publicly, we say it to the Chinese privately. There is no ambiguity,” he said while speaking at a New Delhi event on Thursday.
Bonne, who is a diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, also stressed that Paris and New Delhi needed to work together in the Indo-Pacific—an area where China has been making steady inroads.
The French official who was in India to lead a delegation for a strategic dialogue with the National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, tick marked several topics of common strategic concern between India and France in the region, following China’s muscle flexing.
The Hindustan Times had earlier reported that the laundry list of topics included the setting up of a 10,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Maharashtra, and construction of the six diesel-electric submarines under project P-75I for the Indian Navy.
The daily pointed out that France has been one of India’s most reliable partners in Europe for years but the two countries had inched closer over the last few years that led to a deal to buy 36 Rafale aircraft. Paris has now offered to shift 100 per cent assembly line for Panther medium utility helicopters as well as 70 per cent of the assembly line for Rafale fighters under “Make in India” rubric with full transfer of technology.