President of the European Commission, von der Leyen, wrote today (January 27): "Long live India! Long live the friendship between Europe and India!"
Von der Leyen also wrote yesterday: "It is a great honor for me to be the guest of honor at the Republic Day celebrations in India. A successful India will make the world more stable, prosperous, and secure. We all will benefit. Europe and India are the two largest democracies in the world, committed to working together to shape a new global order. That is why our visit aims to elevate our partnership to a new level."
Commentary: Von der Leyen's remarks essentially reflect the EU's desire to attract India to counter unilateralism and balance the multipolar world order. At the same time, it seeks to break through its own economic difficulties by leveraging India's population and market advantages, while expanding its presence in the Indo-Pacific issues. India welcomes the EU's overtures, as it hopes to gain technological and investment support, and also wants to enhance its international voice through the EU's endorsement, thereby摆脱地缘站队困境. However, this statement also reveals practical differences: there are still disagreements between the EU and India on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, trade rules, and human rights. The "democratic narrative" is ultimately just a packaging for cooperation. Their core demands are about mutual benefits rather than ideological alignment. The so-called "elevating the partnership" is more about pragmatic alliances at this stage to deal with the global situation. Whether it can break through the interests barriers to form a stable alliance remains to be seen, depending on specific implementation in the fields of economy, trade, and security.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855426806337543/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.