Spanish PM Sanchez in India seeking to bolster trade ties

NEW DELHI: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was welcomed to India on Monday with a flower-filled open-top parade alongside his counterpart Narendra Modi, as Madrid seeks to boost investment in the world's fifth-largest economy. 

The duo waved to crowds in a vehicle adorned with orange marigold garlands on their way to inaugurate a military aircraft factory, a collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus, in Vadodara, Gujarat.

This marks the first visit by a Spanish premier to India in 18 years. In 2021, India's defence ministry agreed to a $2.5 billion deal for 56 cargo and troop-carrying C295 aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space. While 16 will be assembled in Seville, Spain—with the first deliveries made last year—the remaining 40 will be built in India. The Indian plant in Vadodara will complete the first "Made in India" C295 aircraft in 2026.

"This factory will not only strengthen India-Spain relations but also the 'Make in India and Made for the World' mission," Modi said at the inauguration. "It also reinforces India's position as a trusted partner in global aerospace manufacturing."

Sanchez stated that Airbus had opened a new chapter in India's defence and space industry. "This project strengthens our industrial ties while underlining our country's deep commitment as a reliable and strategic partner," he said, speaking in English. "It also showcases the capabilities of the Spanish defence industry."

India reports that trade between the nations is "robust and growing," totalling $9.9 billion in 2023, with India exporting $7.17 billion and importing $2.74 billion. Spain, the 16th-biggest foreign investor in India with more than 280 Spanish companies in the country, sees opportunities in construction, pharmacy, energy, and the railways industry. Leaders of Navantia, Spain's state shipbuilding company, are part of the visit, seeking potential contracts, including for submarines.

Modi visited Spain in 2017 and held talks with Sanchez at the G20 summits in 2018 and 2021, but this is the first visit by a Spanish premier to India in nearly two decades. Sanchez, who visited China last month, is looking to consolidate relations in Asia with both Beijing and New Delhi.

The Spanish leader is slated to visit India's financial capital Mumbai today, hold talks with business chiefs and visit a Bollywood film studio to seek tie-ups with Spanish firms.

By RSS/AFP