ANDALIB AKHTER / NEW DELHI
INDIA’S Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar Wednesday addressed the growing convergence of national security and business decisions at Raisina Dialogue 2025 here. Highlighting the shift in global economic strategies, Dr Jaishankar said that the world today makes business decisions factoring in national security in a way they did not before. He also underlined how countries now prioritise secure and reliable partnerships over cost-effectiveness alone.
Discussing India’s trade negotiations, Dr Jaishankar said that India is involved in three big trade negotiations with the EU, the UK and the United States right now. He added that these are growth markets, technology and strategic partners of India.
Speaking during a session on the intersection of government and business, he said, be it tariffs or sanctions, the “weaponisation” of economic activity is now a reality – “countries use them”. “It could be financial flows, energy supplies, or technology. This is the reality of the world,” he said.
India would have to negotiate the best deals possible because “governments fight for their businesses,” he added. “You’re fighting for your comprehensive national power of which business makes a very important contribution.”
One way to handle the “weaponisation” of economic activity, he said, is “to stay on the right side of the weapon so that you don’t get hit.”
In the digital era, he noted, cost and efficiency are no longer the main drivers of business decisions. “It is about comfort. It is about trust.” He added that business conversations today revolve around “trust and reliable partnerships”.
India is currently engaged in three major trade negotiations with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He described these countries as not only India’s growth markets and technology partners but also key destinations for Indian students and tourists. “These are, in many ways, our connectivity partners. They are our strategic partners.”