PM Narendra Modi, EU leaders discuss China's aggression along LAC

The “rules-based international order” has come under stress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, as he discussed with the European Union (EU) leaders China’s aggression along its disputed boundary with India in eastern Ladakh.

Modi held the 15th India-EU summit with Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission respectively, through video-conference on Wednesday. They unveiled a roadmap for India-EU strategic partnership over the next five years and agreed to strengthen military-to-military relations and exchanges.

The leaders agreed to launch a dialogue on maritime security and consultations on security and defence, particularly to enhance naval cooperation. They underlined the need to preserve safety and stability in the Indian Ocean.

“We will also work to reinforce maritime security, especially in the Indian Ocean, where 40% of our trade passes (through),” Michel said at a news conference at the EU headquarters in Brussels after the virtual summit with Modi.

They announced the launch of negotiations to work out a working arrangement between the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) and its EU counterpart, Europol, to support law enforcement authorities of India and the member-states of the 27-nation bloc in preventing and combating organised crime and terrorism.

Modi and the EU leaders did discuss the recent eight-week-long stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the disputed boundary between the two nations in eastern Ladakh.

The Prime Minister’s reference to growing stress on rules-based international order appeared to be in the context of the aggression and expansionist moves on China, not only along the disputed boundary with India but also in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

“As part of the review of the global and regional developments, our relations with China did come up during the summit. (The) Prime Minister shared our views on India-China relations in general and the current situation in border areas,” Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affair (MEA), told journalists after the meeting.

India and the EU on Wednesday agreed to set up a maritime security dialogue replacing the counter-piracy dialogue and explore opportunities for further maritime cooperation. They also agreed to deepen cooperation between the Indian Navy and the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Atalanta.

The two sides agreed to continue the regular exchange of views on disarmament, non-proliferation and export controls through the annual India-EU Dialogue on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

The Prime Minister and the EU leaders called for support to an open, free, stable and secure cyberspace, and their commitment to foster the responsible and liable behaviour of all the actors in the cyberspace. They underlined the need to increase global cyber resilience, including the health sector. India and the EU will continue to cooperate on international and regional issues of common interest including Iran and Afghanistan, according to a joint statement issued after the summit.