Why in news?
PM Narendra Modi will land in Lisbon for the first-ever bilateral visit of an Indian PM to Portugal. It will symbolically mark the beginning of a new era in Indo-Portuguese relations.
Why the visit?
- PM’s Lisbon detour is also driven by three strategic factors. These reflect a confident India, focused on reaching new shores by engaging Europe, balancing China, and leveraging the diaspora.
- Context of European outreach effort - In order to balance Beijing’s formidable Western offensive.
- As one of Beijing’s few strategic partners on the Atlantic, Portugal hosts one of the highest levels of Chinese per capita investments.
- Beijing is now seeking to establish a similar framework (like the 16+1 mechanism), for the Mediterranean to link its continental connectivity plans to the Atlantic and Africa.
- Modi’s visit to Portugal thus marks a symbolic response to China, as President Xi Jinping has yet failed to make an appearance in Lisbon.
- It also seeks greater Indo-European engagement in Africa, in cooperation with “like-minded” states.
- The Portugal connection could also be laying the ground for a complementary Indo-Atlantic space that reflects India’s reorientation towards West.
- Expanding presence in Africa and Latin America - It could also seek to leverage Lisbon’s influence and expertise in those regions.
- The Portuguese-speaking world includes nine states on four continents, including Brazil, Mozambique and Timor-Leste.
- This “lusophone” sphere offers significant scope for trilateral alignments, and fits with New Delhi’s emphasis on inclusive partnerships with small states and middle powers in niche sectors.
- New Delhi is also considers joining the CPLP, the community of Portuguese-speaking nations, as an associate member.
- Diaspora in Portugal - Where one of Europe’s largest communities of Indian origin has taken much pride in seeing Antonio Costa (his father was a Goan) elected as the West’s first leader of Indian-origin Minister.
- India can leverage its historical connections and overseas communities as an asset to build bridges and increase influence abroad.
Source: The Indian Express