Background

The India Trilateral Forum 23 (ITF 23) was held between October 25 and 26 in New Delhi, India. Organized in partnership with the German Marshall Fund and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ITF 23 witnessed the participation of more than 40 thought leaders and policy makers from Europe, India, and the U.S. for a closed-door discussion on Indo-Pacific and Transatlantic policy.

Discussion Summary

ITF 23 focused on five key themes; India’s participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs), takeaways from recent bilateral visits between India, the U.S. and France, current trends in India-China relations and Taiwan policy, the Global South and India’s G20 presidency, and emerging technology and climate change. Participants also discussed the present and future trajectory of Europe’s Indo-Pacific strategy featuring a panel of Ambassadors from the European Union, Italy, Germany, and Sweden too.

The discussions highlighted the sharpening strategic convergence between India, Europe, and the U.S. on key regional and global issues. India-China relations continue to remain tense due to the ongoing border conflict, where disengagement seems distant. Other areas of competition also pertain to supply chains and India’s neighborhood. Participants also deliberated on the current state of U.S.-China-Taiwan relations and agreed on the importance of trilateral cooperation to deter and prevent cross-strait conflict. The U.S.-India state visit in June 2023 was also touched upon where space and the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) will be integral to ongoing U.S.-India strategic cooperation. The private sector is very important in climate action too, and the “business case” is being reconciled with the broader objectives of decarbonization and energy efficiency. Yet challenges like compliance costs also remain. In the context of India’s G20 presidency, participants discussed different dimensions of the term “Global South” and perspectives from Africa were also highlighted. The achievement of sustainable development goals is a key priority for the developing world, and this provides more room for Europe, India and U.S. trilateral cooperation in both formal and informal multilateral organizations.