India and France pledge to double bilateral trade in five years

On 14 June in Nice, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting covering innovation, trade, investment, security, culture and people‑to‑people ties. The two leaders agreed on a roadmap to double annual bilateral trade from roughly $16 billion to $32 billion within five years. They signed a joint AI framework, a security pact on confidential data, and a declaration on high‑speed rail cooperation. An extension of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to Paris‑Charles de Gaulle and Nice airports was also approved. A high‑level mechanism will monitor economic security, while a joint AI working group will promote research, development and capacity building. Macron posted on X, “We are starting a new chapter for our peoples,” echoing the broader push to deepen the India‑France strategic partnership.