NEW DELHI: After his arrival in India for a three-day visit, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that a strong relationship between the two Asian democracies would contribute to “peace and prosperity” in Asia and the wider world.
Abe arrived in Delhi on Friday evening for his annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which they are expected to sign a multi-billion deal for a bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. They are also expected to take forward talks on the civil nuclear deal, with negotiations reportedly going down the line. “A strong India is good for Japan and a strong Japan is good for India. Strong Indo-Japan relations will contribute to peace and prosperity in Asia and the world. I firmly believe this,” the Japanese PM told a business summit in Delhi.
Abe said Japan had created a “special financial framework” for its firms that seek to invest in India, which had led to unlocking of business opportunities worth $12.3 billion (1.5 tn yen).
Prime Minister Abe pointed out that like India, Japan had also undertaken its own economic restructuring programme and as a result its GDP had touched 100 trillion yen — the highest since World War II. He invited Indian firms to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in his country.
Japan and India have forged a closer relationship in the last two years, which has coincided with the increased aggressive foreign policy stance by their giant neighbour, China.
In fact, recently Japan took part for the first time in the Malabar naval exercises, while both countries are also negotiating the possibility of co-production of US-2 amphibious aircraft.
As soon as Abe landed in India, Modi tweeted: “Welcome to India @AbeShinzo. Your visit will provide new strength and vigour to India-Japan ties,” he said, describing him as a “phenomenal leader”.