New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron is set to visit India from February 17 to 19 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with New Delhi’s flagship AI Impact Summit forming the centrepiece of the trip. During the visit, President Macron will also travel to Mumbai for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi, marking his fourth visit to India since assuming office. The trip comes at a crucial moment in India–France ties, arriving just days after India cleared a long-pending proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government framework with France, one of New Delhi’s largest-ever defence acquisition moves.
Although India’s defence ministry has not officially disclosed the cost, the deal is expected to be valued between Rs 2.90 lakh crore and Rs 3.15 lakh crore. There is a strong possibility that India and France could formally ink the inter-governmental pact during Macron’s stay. Beyond defence, the visit underscores the growing convergence between the two countries across artificial intelligence, innovation, education, trade, and people-to-people ties, as both sides push their strategic partnership into what they describe as a new phase of cooperation.
Defence cooperation and strategic convergence
Macron’s trip follows India’s clearance of the Rafale acquisition, reinforcing defence as a core pillar of the bilateral relationship. The jets are manufactured by Dassault Aviation, while French aerospace major Safran, which produces M-88 engines for the Rafale, has said it is ready to establish an engine assembly line in India to support local production. Safran has also indicated that it will source components from Indian suppliers, a move expected to strengthen India’s domestic aerospace ecosystem. The defence momentum is part of a broader India–France strategic partnership launched in 1998, which completed 25 years in 2023 and is now moving toward what both governments describe as a “new horizon” of collaboration.
Over the past several years, Modi and Macron have met frequently across bilateral and multilateral platforms, on Bastille Day in Paris in July 2023, during the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023, and briefly on the sidelines of COP-27 in Dubai in December 2023. President Macron was also the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2024, followed by meetings in Italy during the G7 Summit in June 2024, in Brazil on the margins of the G20 Summit in November 2024, and in Paris and Marseille in February 2025 during the Prime Minister’s visit for the AI Action Summit. Subsequent interactions took place in Kananaskis, Canada, during the G7 Summit in June 2025, and most recently at the Johannesburg G20 Summit in November 2025.
Digital diplomacy and innovation partnership
Digital cooperation has emerged as another key driver of engagement. Prime Minister Modi and President Macron jointly co-chaired the AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025, laying the groundwork for deeper collaboration in artificial intelligence. That same month, India and France signed a Bilateral Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, committing to the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI rooted in democratic values. France also became the first European country to enable UPI payments, beginning at the Eiffel Tower and later expanding to Galeries Lafayette, La Vallee Village and other prominent locations, symbolising India’s growing digital footprint in Europe.
Building on this momentum, both governments have announced that 2026 will be celebrated as the Year of Innovation, with joint initiatives planned in science, technology and advanced research. The central agenda of Macron’s current visit is his participation in the mega AI Impact Summit in Delhi, which India is projecting as a major Global South-led platform on artificial intelligence governance and applications.
Trade, industry and corporate presence
Economic engagement between the two countries continues to deepen. India–France bilateral trade crossed $15 billion in 2024–25, with expanding focus on aircraft, information technology, minerals and pharmaceuticals. France rose to become India’s third-largest trading partner in the European Union in 2025, climbing from seventh position in 2023. More than 1,000 French companies now operate in India. Major firms with significant presence include Sanofi, Capgemini, Renault, Schneider Electric, Airbus and Safran, many of which are building global capability centres in India.
French companies operating in India also include Eurocopter, Thales, Hager, Legrand, Arkema, L’Oreal Paris, TotalEnergies, BNP Paribas, Havas, Sodexo, STMicroelectronics, Lactalis, Pernod Ricard, Michelin, Alstom and several others across manufacturing and services. Around 120 Indian companies are present in France, including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Aurobindo Pharma, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Technologies, reflecting growing two-way investment flows.
Education and people-to-people ties
Education cooperation is expanding rapidly, with both sides aiming to increase the number of Indian students in France from 10,000 to 30,000 by 2030. Under India’s National Education Policy 2020, French university campuses are being actively welcomed in India. France is home to an estimated 119,000 Indians in mainland France. In February 2025, Prime Minister Modi and President Macron jointly inaugurated the Consulate General of India in Marseille, further strengthening consular outreach. Cultural connections also remain strong, with Yoga, Indian cinema, dance and music enjoying widespread popularity across France.
As Macron arrives in India for the AI Impact Summit, his visit reflects a relationship that now spans defence, digital governance, trade, education and culture, anchored in frequent leader-level engagement and reinforced by growing economic and people-to-people links. With a major Rafale deal on the table and innovation cooperation accelerating, the trip signals yet another step forward in the steadily deepening India–France strategic partnership.
