India-EU: Sixth Round of consultations on disarmament and non-proliferation

India and European Union held 6th round of consultations on disarmament and non-proliferation matter. The partners discussed on exchange of information on development in the field of chemical, nuclear and biological disarmament. They also discussed about the development on outer space security, conventional weapons and non-proliferation. They held talks on strategic stability of environment, export control regions and other development of mutual interest.

India European Union trade

European Union is the largest trading partner of India. As of 2016, the European Union accounts to 12.5% of India’s overall trade. This is ahead of China that accounts to 10.8% and USA that accounts to 9.3 %. On the other hand, India is the ninth largest trading partner of European Union.

The major exports of India to European Union are pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, Gems and Jewellery. Between 2005 and 2016 the trade between the partners has tripled. India is one among a very few Nations that have trade surplus with European Union.

The relations between India and European union is defined by the European Union India cooperation agreement, 1994. However, the partners are still negotiating a free trade deal since 2007 and have not yet come to a conclusion. In 2019, the trade between India and European union was 104.3 billion USD.

Disarmament policy of India

India adopted the Nuclear Doctrine in 2003 under which India pledged its commitment towards a nuclear weapon free world.

Nuclear weapon stockpiles

According to the SIPRI (Stockholm international peace Research Institute), in 2019, nine states in the world possessed around 13, 865 nuclear weapons. They were United Kingdom, India, France, Pakistan, China, USA, Russia, North Korea and Israel.

According to the institute the nuclear Arsenal of India went up from 140 in 2019 to 150 in 2020. China on the other hand is developing a nuclear triad for the first time. Under this China is making land, sea and nuclear capable missiles and aircraft.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2020