00:01Have you ever wondered how the world's fastest growing major economy manages a crisis at home while reshaping global trade?
00:08While New Delhi scrambles to protect a sinking rupee hit by energy shocks from the Iran war,
00:13Prime Minister Narendra Modi is launching a massive diplomatic offensive across Europe.
00:18And months after a historic EU-India free trade agreement, this tour executes that
00:24Mother of all deals
00:25by balancing Brussels with individual capitals.
00:29And if we follow the Prime Minister's itinerary day by day, the calendar reveals exactly what's at stake.
00:38And over the weekend Modi met with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
00:43The Netherlands is a key trading partner for India with bilateral trade worth nearly $28 billion.
00:49And the immediate price is an $11 billion semiconductor deal between Tata Electronics and Dutch giant ASML
00:56to build a cutting-edge microchip plant in Western India.
01:00And it is a textbook example of Europe's China Plus One strategy, as Western companies rush to diversify supply chains
01:07away from Beijing.
01:09And now the focus shifts to Sweden, where today Modi is meeting Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson
01:14and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the European run table for industry.
01:20And here is a side note.
01:21While capitals like Stockholm provide India with specific tech, defence and green transition deals,
01:27Brussels provides here the regulatory alignment and massive tariff cuts needed to unlock the entire European market.
01:35But hey, that's not all.
01:38Tomorrow Modi attends the India-Nordic summit in Oslo,
01:41engaging Nordic leaders on clean energy and Arctic shipping routes opened up by climate change.
01:47And this grand tour will conclude on Wednesday in Italy with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,
01:53where both leaders will focus on maritime security and a joint action plan for legal migration channels.
01:58And I know, it sounds complex, but one thing is certain.
02:02For European leaders facing slowing economies, rolling out the red carpet is no longer a luxury.
02:08It is a strategic necessity.
02:10And the world's most populous nation becomes an indispensable geopolitical counterweight
02:15when Europe's historic partners look away.
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