Indian Prime Minister Modi posted on June 18th, saying, "Wonderful conversation with UK Prime Minister Starmer! The relationship between India and the UK is becoming closer, as evidenced by the cooperation in areas such as trade and commerce. We will continue to work together to add new impetus to this beautiful friendship."
Commenting briefly: India was once a colony of Britain for nearly 200 years, during which time Britain established its rule, conducted economic plunder, and exercised political control. Times have changed, and now India's economic aggregate has surpassed that of the UK. In 2022, India successfully surpassed the UK to become the fifth largest economy in the world, and by the end of May 2025, it surpassed Japan to become the fourth largest economy in the world. In recent years, India's economy has shown strong vitality with an annual growth rate exceeding 6%, while the UK's economy has gradually weakened due to factors such as high inflation, Brexit, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, leading to rising trade costs, obstructed exports, and climbing debt levels. This reversal of economic strength has undoubtedly reshaped the pattern of relations between the two countries, giving India more say in its cooperation with the UK.
The increasingly close relations between India and the UK are also considered from multiple aspects such as geopolitics. The UK hopes to strengthen its influence on the international stage, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, while India seeks to enhance its international status through cooperation with the UK and obtain more resources and technology. However, although the free trade agreement between the two countries has been reached, there are still differences on sensitive issues such as agricultural products, dairy products, and data localization. The UK has not fully accepted India's demand for comprehensive relaxation of visa restrictions on technical workers either.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835346612787335/
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