Opinion | Brazil And India: From Diplomacy To Delivery In A Multipolar World

Kamal Madishetty & Roberto Alvarez

The opportunity now lies in converting diplomatic momentum into sustained institutional and industrial cooperation

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s recent state visit to India injected renewed momentum into one of the most underdeveloped major partnerships of the twenty-first century. With bilateral trade nearing $20 billion and ambitions to push that figure towards $30 billion, the signal is positive. Yet ambition measured only in trade expansion remains limited. Expanding merchandise flows alone will not reposition either country in a world defined by technological competition and accelerating industrial transformation.

The relationship must now be anchored in sectors that define competitiveness in the twenty-first century. Moving beyond diplomatic engagement toward structured co-investment in digital infrastructure, energy transition, strategic minerals, space and artificial intelligence would align the partnership more closely with the long-term industrial priorities of both countries.

Is China Winning The AI Race? Inside Beijing’s Bet On Cheap Intelligence, And Where Does India Stand?

India's AI Future Counts On An Edge Advantage

Angelic Intelligence will be crucial to implement AI ethically

Opinion | How Modi Govt's National Monetisation Pipeline 2.0 Scales Up Asset Recycling Experiment

Competition between the United States and China increasingly shapes investment flows, innovation ecosystems, and access to critical technologies. Large emerging democracies risk strategic compression—dependence on one pole while remaining vulnerable to another. Brazil and India, with continental scale and deep scientific and manufacturing capabilities, possess the capacity to diversify options and reinforce strategic autonomy. Doing so, however, requires innovating the toolkit for collaboration.

Digital public infrastructure offers a natural starting point. India’s ecosystem integrates digital identity, interoperable payments, and open data platforms at a national scale, generating more than 1.38 billion Aadhaar identities while UPI processes 10–12 billion monthly transactions worth ₹14–24 trillion. Brazil’s Pix and the gov.br portal have similarly transformed financial inclusion and public service delivery. Pix is used by over 170 million individuals and millions of firms, processing billions of transactions monthly and moving trillions of reais annually.

The next phase lies in interoperability, shared standards, and coordinated innovation. Structured collaboration between the Pix and UPI ecosystems, alignment on open digital frameworks, and joint startup acceleration platforms could position both countries as co-architects of scalable democratic digital governance. A jointly designed public-private delivery platform could develop exportable digital solutions while strengthening domestic innovation ecosystems in both countries.

Energy transition and strategic minerals present equally compelling complementarities. Brazil’s biofuels ecosystem aligns directly with India’s effort to reduce crude oil dependence and expand ethanol blending. As co-founders of the Global Biofuel Alliance, the two countries now need to move beyond policy alignment toward industrial execution, including collaboration in synthetic and computational biology that will shape the next generation of the bioeconomy.

Critical minerals deepen the structural case for cooperation. Brazil holds roughly 23 per cent of global rare earth reserves but contributes only a small share of production while expanding lithium output. India, aiming to scale electric mobility, renewable power systems, and advanced manufacturing, requires diversified mineral supply chains. Joint applied research centres linked to industry, manufacturing partnerships, and coordinated investment could combine Brazil’s resource endowment with India’s industrial ambition. The electric vehicle, electronics, defence, and clean energy sectors stand to benefit from such an integrated approach.

Space cooperation similarly offers strategic depth. Estimates suggest the global space economy could reach $1.8 trillion annually by 2035. India combines cost-efficient missions led by ISRO with commercialisation through New Space India Ltd., expanding private participation. Brazil’s Alcântara launch centre offers equatorial advantages that remain globally valuable. Joint satellite launches, collaborative payload design and shared data platforms could generate commercial and environmental applications while strengthening industrial capabilities on both sides. Aerospace and defence partnerships—including technology exchange and manufacturing collaboration—would further diversify supply chains and reinforce industrial capacity.

Artificial intelligence presents both vulnerability and opportunity. Despite growing national initiatives, both countries remain dependent on external semiconductor ecosystems and global model providers. Coordination in global AI governance debates is important, but long-term relevance will depend on domestic value creation. A structured bilateral commission comprising industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers could map realistic joint investment priorities, focusing on applied AI in healthcare, agriculture, climate analytics and public administration. Execution must align public capital, private investment, and research ecosystems.

Investment remains the missing link. Corporate presence across information technology, agribusiness, aerospace, mobility and automation is expanding, yet remains below potential relative to economic scale. Sector-focused investment platforms—potentially structured as professionally managed vehicles with catalytic public participation—could unlock complementarities long obscured by geography. Trade creates access; investment creates interdependence.

Brazil and India remain geographically distant but structurally aligned in their aspirations for autonomy, growth, and global influence. Diplomatic momentum, while important, will not by itself transform the partnership. Durable economic architecture will depend on institutional innovation, translational research partnerships, and long-term capital deployment in sectors that define the future industrial landscape.

The opportunity now lies in converting diplomatic momentum into sustained institutional and industrial cooperation. If structured deliberately and executed consistently, the Brazil–India relationship can evolve from symbolic solidarity into a model of pragmatic, technology-driven partnership among large emerging democracies.

Roberto Alvarez is a tech investor and business strategist who advises governments and companies worldwide on economic growth and leads the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils. Kamal Madishetty is an assistant professor at Rishihood University and a visiting fellow at India Foundation, New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.

© News18