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Strong India – Strong Japan will not only enrich our two nations. It will be a stabilising factor in Asia and the world: PM Modi

Published By : Admin | November 11, 2016 | 10:29 IST
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I am delighted to visit this great country once again. It is indeed a great pleasure to see so many familiar faces here. I thank CII and Keidanren for creating this opportunity. I have always considered my engagements with you extremely useful.


Over the years, I have visited Japan several times. Indeed, my personal engagement with the leadership, Government, Industry and people of Japan is now almost a decade old.

Friends,

The very word "Japan" in India is a benchmark of quality, excellence, honesty and integrity.

Japanese people have led the world in sustainable development. There is also a deep sense of social responsibility and ethical behaviour.

We are also familiar with Japan's enormous contributions to the process of development in other parts of the world, especially in Asia and Africa.

India's core values are rooted in our civilizational heritage. It gets inspiration through the teachings of Truth from Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi.

It gets its wings from our democratic traditions, emphasis on both wealth and value creation, a robust sense of enterprise and quest to modernize and prosper its economy.

That is why India and Japan are best suited to work together.

In fact;

Our past has desired us to stand together.

Our present is encouraging us to work together.

Friends,

I have been saying that this twenty first (21st Century) is Asia’s Century. Asia has emerged as the new centre of global growth.

It is competitive in manufacturing and services, is becoming a hub for global innovation, is home to large talented workforce, and as home to sixty percent of global population, it is an ever expanding market.

India and Japan will have to continue to play a major role in Asia’s emergence.

The growing convergence of views between Japan and India under our Special Strategic and Global Partnership has the capacity to drive the regional economy and development, and stimulate the global growth.

Strong India – Strong Japan will not only enrich our two nations. It will also be a stabilising factor in Asia and the world.

Friends,

Today, India is on the path of several major transformations. We have taken decisive steps and built a governance system that will help India realize its potential. The results are already visible.

Even against a weak international economic scenario, the news from India is of strong growth and abundant opportunities. It is of Incredible opportunities, and about India's Credible Policies.

In 2015, the Indian economy grew faster than other major economies. World Bank and IMF assess this trend to continue. Lower labour costs, large domestic market and macro-economic stability combine to make India a very attractive investment destination.

In the last two fiscal years, we received about 55 billion dollars as foreign direct investment. This is not only highest ever FDI but also highest growth in FDI in India.

Today, every global company has an India strategy. And, Japanese companies are no exception. It is no surprise that today Japan is India's fourth largest source of FDI.

Japanese investments extend to both green-field and brown-field projects; manufacturing and services; infrastructure and insurance; and e-commerce and equity.

On our part, we would, of course, want greater influx of Japanese investments. For this, we will be proactive in addressing your concerns.

And, we will further strengthen the special mechanisms including Japanese Industrial Townships.

I encourage you to make use of the ten-year business visa, the e-Tourist Visa, and the Visa-On-Arrival facility that we now offer to Japanese travellers.

The Social Security Agreement with Japan has also been implemented, which is good news for the growing number of professionals on both sides.

Friends,

India's development needs are huge and substantial. We seek rapid achievement of our developmental priorities, but in a manner that is environment friendly.

· We want to build roads and railways in a faster way;

· We want to explore minerals and hydrocarbons in a greener way;

· We want to build homes and civic amenities in a smarter way; and

· We want to produce energy in a cleaner way.

In addition, there are futuristic infrastructure projects of second generation. These include: the Dedicated Freight Corridor, the Industrial Corridors, High Speed Railways, Smart Cities, Coastal Zones and Metro Rail projects.

All of these offer unprecedented opportunities for Japanese industry. Made in India and Made by Japan combination has already started to work and converge wonderfully.

Cars made in India by a Japanese car maker are already selling in Japan. I wish to thank and congratulate those of you who are already in India.

To those who are exploring, I promise you that we are committed to further refine our policies and procedures to boost Make in India.

Friends,

Creating an enabling environment for business and attracting investments remains my top priority. Stable, predictable and transparent regulations are redefining the nature of doing business in India.

E-governance is no longer just a fancy buzzword, but a basic facility. We have successfully enacted a new legislation regarding Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code passed recently will make it easier for investors to have an exit. We are setting up commercial courts and commercial divisions to ensure speedy disposal of commercial matters.

The arbitration proceedings will now become faster as the Arbitration law has been amended. In June this year, we have further relaxed our FDI regime. We have also announced a new Intellectual Property Rights policy.

All of these point to the new direction of economic reforms that India is pursuing. My resolve is to make India the most open economy in the world. The impact of our efforts is being felt and recognized globally.

· FDI equity inflows have gone up by 52% in last two years.

· India has gone up 19 spots on the World Logistics Performance Index 2016 brought out by the World Bank.

· We have done substantial improvement on Ease of doing business. Our ranking has improved considerably.

· In two years, India is up by 32 places on the Global Competitiveness Index of World Economic Forum. · According to the World Investment Report of 2015, India is first among the top 10 FDI Destinations of the World.

Friends,

I have long maintained that India needs scale, speed and skill. Japan has a very important role to play in all three.

Its involvement in our mega projects like Dedicated Freight Corridors, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Metro Rail and High Speed Rail signifies scale and speed.

With a number of skill development initiatives already underway, our partnership now extends to this crucial area of our priority. The captains of Japanese business and industry sitting here will agree with me that a combination of Japan's technologies and India's human resources will create a win-win situation.

I have said earlier also that the combination of your hardware and our software is a fantastic combination. It will benefit both countries.

Let us join hands even more closely and strongly. Let us march forward and explore bigger potentials and brighter prospects.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

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Joint Statement: Official visit of Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India to Kuwait (December 21-22, 2024)
December 22, 2024

At the invitation of His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of India His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Kuwait on 21-22 December 2024. This was his first visit to Kuwait. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi attended the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait on 21 December 2024 as the ‘Guest of Honour’ of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait received Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Bayan Palace on 22 December 2024 and was accorded a ceremonial welcome. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi expressed his deep appreciation to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for conferring on him the highest award of the State of Kuwait ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’. The leaders exchanged views on bilateral, global, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Given the traditional, close and friendly bilateral relations and desire to deepen cooperation in all fields, the two leaders agreed to elevate the relations between India and Kuwait to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. The leaders stressed that it is in line with the common interests of the two countries and for the mutual benefit of the two peoples. Establishment of a strategic partnership between both countries will further broad-base and deepen our long-standing historical ties.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait. In light of the newly established strategic partnership, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations through comprehensive and structured cooperation in key areas, including political, trade, investment, defence, security, energy, culture, education, technology and people-to-people ties.

The two sides recalled the centuries-old historical ties rooted in shared history and cultural affinities. They noted with satisfaction the regular interactions at various levels which have helped in generating and sustaining the momentum in the multifaceted bilateral cooperation. Both sides emphasized on sustaining the recent momentum in high-level exchanges through regular bilateral exchanges at Ministerial and senior-official levels.

The two sides welcomed the recent establishment of a Joint Commission on Cooperation (JCC) between India and Kuwait. The JCC will be an institutional mechanism to review and monitor the entire spectrum of the bilateral relations between the two countries and will be headed by the Foreign Ministers of both countries. To further expand our bilateral cooperation across various fields, new Joint Working Groups (JWGs) have been set up in areas of trade, investments, education and skill development, science and technology, security and counter-terrorism, agriculture, and culture, in addition to the existing JWGs on Health, Manpower and Hydrocarbons. Both sides emphasized on convening the meetings of the JCC and the JWGs under it at an early date.

Both sides noted that trade has been an enduring link between the two countries and emphasized on the potential for further growth and diversification in bilateral trade. They also emphasized on the need for promoting exchange of business delegations and strengthening institutional linkages.

Recognizing that the Indian economy is one of the fastest growing emerging major economies and acknowledging Kuwait’s significant investment capacity, both sides discussed various avenues for investments in India. The Kuwaiti side welcomed steps taken by India in making a conducive environment for foreign direct investments and foreign institutional investments, and expressed interest to explore investment opportunities in different sectors, including technology, tourism, healthcare, food-security, logistics and others. They recognized the need for closer and greater engagement between investment authorities in Kuwait with Indian institutions, companies and funds. They encouraged companies of both countries to invest and participate in infrastructure projects. They also directed the concerned authorities of both countries to fast-track and complete the ongoing negotiations on the Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Both sides discussed ways to enhance their bilateral partnership in the energy sector. While expressing satisfaction at the bilateral energy trade, they agreed that potential exists to further enhance it. They discussed avenues to transform the cooperation from a buyer-seller relationship to a comprehensive partnership with greater collaboration in upstream and downstream sectors. Both sides expressed keenness to support companies of the two countries to increase cooperation in the fields of exploration and production of oil and gas, refining, engineering services, petrochemical industries, new and renewable energy. Both sides also agreed to discuss participation by Kuwait in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve Programme.

Both sides agreed that defence is an important component of the strategic partnership between India and Kuwait. The two sides welcomed the signing of the MoU in the field of Defence that will provide the required framework to further strengthen bilateral defence ties, including through joint military exercises, training of defence personnel, coastal defence, maritime safety, joint development and production of defence equipment.

The two sides unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism and called for disrupting of terrorism financing networks and safe havens, and dismantling of terror infrastructure. Expressing appreciation of their ongoing bilateral cooperation in the area of security, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism operations, information and intelligence sharing, developing and exchanging experiences, best practices and technologies, capacity building and to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, anti-money laundering, drug-trafficking and other transnational crimes. The two sides discussed ways and means to promote cooperation in cybersecurity, including prevention of use of cyberspace for terrorism, radicalisation and for disturbing social harmony. The Indian side praised the results of the fourth high-level conference on "Enhancing International Cooperation in Combating Terrorism and Building Resilient Mechanisms for Border Security - The Kuwait Phase of the Dushanbe Process," which was hosted by the State of Kuwait on November 4-5, 2024.

Both sides acknowledged health cooperation as one of the important pillars of bilateral ties and expressed their commitment to further strengthen collaboration in this important sector. Both sides appreciated the bilateral cooperation during the COVID- 19 pandemic. They discussed the possibility of setting up of Indian pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in Kuwait. They also expressed their intent to strengthen cooperation in the field of medical products regulation in the ongoing discussions on an MoU between the drug regulatory authorities.

The two sides expressed interest in pursuing deeper collaboration in the area of technology including emerging technologies, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. They discussed avenues to explore B2B cooperation, furthering e-Governance, and sharing best practices for facilitating industries/companies of both countries in the policies and regulation in the electronics and IT sector.

The Kuwaiti side also expressed interest in cooperation with India to ensure its food-security. Both sides discussed various avenues for collaboration including investments by Kuwaiti companies in food parks in India.

The Indian side welcomed Kuwait’s decision to become a member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), marking a significant step towards collaboration in developing and deploying low-carbon growth trajectories and fostering sustainable energy solutions. Both sides agreed to work closely towards increasing the deployment of solar energy across the globe within ISA.

Both sides noted the recent meetings between the civil aviation authorities of both countries. The two sides discussed the increase of bilateral flight seat capacities and associated issues. They agreed to continue discussions in order to reach a mutually acceptable solution at an early date.

Appreciating the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for 2025-2029, which will facilitate greater cultural exchanges in arts, music, and literature festivals, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment on further enhancing people to people contacts and strengthening the cultural cooperation.

Both sides expressed satisfaction at the signing of the Executive Program on Cooperation in the Field of Sports for 2025-2028. which will strengthen cooperation in the area of sports including mutual exchange and visits of sportsmen, organising workshops, seminars and conferences, exchange of sports publications between both nations.

Both sides highlighted that education is an important area of cooperation including strengthening institutional linkages and exchanges between higher educational institutions of both countries. Both sides also expressed interest in collaborating on Educational Technology, exploring opportunities for online learning platforms and digital libraries to modernize educational infrastructure.

As part of the activities under the MoU between Sheikh Saud Al Nasser Al Sabah Kuwaiti Diplomatic Institute and the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), both sides welcomed the proposal to organize the Special Course for diplomats and Officers from Kuwait at SSIFS in New Delhi.

Both sides acknowledged that centuries old people-to-people ties represent a fundamental pillar of the historic India-Kuwait relationship. The Kuwaiti leadership expressed deep appreciation for the role and contribution made by the Indian community in Kuwait for the progress and development of their host country, noting that Indian citizens in Kuwait are highly respected for their peaceful and hard-working nature. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi conveyed his appreciation to the leadership of Kuwait for ensuring the welfare and well-being of this large and vibrant Indian community in Kuwait.

The two sides stressed upon the depth and importance of long standing and historical cooperation in the field of manpower mobility and human resources. Both sides agreed to hold regular meetings of Consular Dialogue as well as Labour and Manpower Dialogue to address issues related to expatriates, labour mobility and matters of mutual interest.

The two sides appreciated the excellent coordination between both sides in the UN and other multilateral fora. The Indian side welcomed Kuwait’s entry as ‘dialogue partner’ in SCO during India’s Presidency of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023. The Indian side also appreciated Kuwait’s active role in the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). The Kuwaiti side highlighted the importance of making the necessary efforts to explore the possibility of transforming the ACD into a regional organisation.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi congratulated His Highness the Amir on Kuwait’s assumption of the Presidency of GCC this year and expressed confidence that the growing India-GCC cooperation will be further strengthened under his visionary leadership. Both sides welcomed the outcomes of the inaugural India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers held in Riyadh on 9 September 2024. The Kuwaiti side as the current Chair of GCC assured full support for deepening of the India-GCC cooperation under the recently adopted Joint Action Plan in areas including health, trade, security, agriculture and food security, transportation, energy, culture, amongst others. Both sides also stressed the importance of early conclusion of the India-GCC Free Trade Agreement.

In the context of the UN reforms, both leaders emphasized the importance of an effective multilateral system, centered on a UN reflective of contemporary realities, as a key factor in tackling global challenges. The two sides stressed the need for the UN reforms, including of the Security Council through expansion in both categories of membership, to make it more representative, credible and effective.

The following documents were signed/exchanged during the visit, which will further deepen the multifaceted bilateral relationship as well as open avenues for newer areas of cooperation:● MoU between India and Kuwait on Cooperation in the field of Defence.

● Cultural Exchange Programme between India and Kuwait for the years 2025-2029.

● Executive Programme between India and Kuwait on Cooperation in the field of Sports for 2025-2028 between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and Public Authority for Youth and Sports, Government of the State of Kuwait.

● Kuwait’s membership of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi thanked His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. The visit reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Kuwait. The leaders expressed optimism that this renewed partnership would continue to grow, benefiting the people of both countries and contributing to regional and global stability. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also invited His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, and His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait to visit India.