Kautilya

yanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing’s upcoming five-day visit to India marks an important moment

India and Israel have built one of the most practical strategic partnerships of the post-Cold War era. The relationship rests on defence cooperation, counter-terrorism, agriculture, water management, innovation, cybersecurity, space, start-ups, digital technology and political trust. It has grown steadily since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1992 and has expanded sharply in the last decade through high-level visits and strategic agreements.

India and South Africa share a relationship that goes far beyond routine diplomacy. The connection carries the memory of anti-colonial struggles, the moral legacy of Mahatma Gandhi’s years in South Africa, the fight against apartheid and a shared commitment to a more balanced global order. Over the decades, this historical bond has matured into a strategic partnership shaped by economic cooperation, people-to-people ties, multilateral engagement and South-South solidarity.

The visit carried strong business weight. Goyal led the largest-ever Indian business delegation to Canada, comprising industry leaders from more than 100 Indian companies. The delegation represented sectors such as metals and mining, energy, automotive and capital goods, aerospace, tourism, leather, textiles, agriculture, telecom and pharmaceuticals. This broad sectoral mix showed that India’s engagement with Canada is moving beyond narrow trade discussions and entering a larger industrial, investment and technology framework.

The negotiations were held after the Joint Declaration signed on 20 April 2026 by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo during the state visit of the President of the Republic of Korea to India. That declaration had committed both sides to accelerating the upgrade of the India-Korea CEPA, which has been in force since 2010.