Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Advances India‑France Economic Partnership During France Visit
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began a two‑day official trip to France on July 1, co‑chairing the India‑France Economic and Financial Dialogue in Aix‑en‑Provence with French Economy Minister Roland Lescure. The talks targeted new areas of bilateral cooperation, including clean‑energy projects, digital innovation and cybersecurity, and featured her visit to the ITER fusion facility and France’s national cyber hub, Campus Cyber.
During a business roundtable in Paris on July 3, Sitharaman stressed that the India‑France Strategic Partnership will drive the next phase of innovation‑led growth. She highlighted a doubling of bilateral trade over the past decade, the presence of roughly 1,000 French firms in India, and opportunities in trusted AI, digital infrastructure, renewable energy, green hydrogen, smart grids, and life‑science collaboration. Sitharaman also cited the International Financial Services Centre’s rapid expansion and announced forthcoming investment funds totaling about $4.5 billion to support infrastructure, digital and green‑energy projects.
The visit aims to deepen economic ties, attract French investment and reinforce cooperation across technology, energy and healthcare sectors.