Prime Minister ,Narendra Modi’s upcoming four-day foreign tour starting today —his first major bilateral outreach after returning to power—carries profound implications for India’s diplomacy, trade, and regional influence. From July 23 to 26, 2025 Modi will visit two countries with vastly different strategic weight but equally critical significance: the United Kingdom and the Maldives.

In London, Modi is expected to finalise the long-delayed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the newly elected Labour government of Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. The visit will also symbolise a reset in Indo-UK political relations after the exit of the Conservatives. From London, Modi will travel directly to Male, aiming to mend strained ties with the pro-China leadership of President Mohamed Muizzu and reassert India’s maritime dominance in the Indian Ocean. Together, the two stops underline Modi’s twin-pronged foreign policy approach—deepening economic integration with the West and containing Chinese encroachment in South Asia.

Indo-UK FTA: A Long-Awaited Economic Milestone

The Indo-UK trade deal is poised to be the crown jewel of the London leg of the visit. After fourteen gruelling rounds of negotiation, both governments have concluded the FTA in principle. Modi’s presence will give it the political imprimatur needed to take it across the finish line. This will be Modi’s first visit to Britain since 2018, and his first formal interaction with Starmer, whose Labour Party returned to power after over a decade in opposition.

The FTA, years in the making, is a landmark achievement in India’s post-Brexit engagement with Britain. It promises to double bilateral trade to $120 billion by 2030 and reshape economic flows between the two countries. For India, the agreement opens up duty-free or low-tariff access to British markets for key sectors including textiles, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and electric vehicles.........

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