US EditionGermany and India at 75: Significance of Chancellor Merz’s Delhi visit
Merz's visit aims to boost a $33.4 billion trade relationship and explore a $5.2 billion submarine deal with India amid growing economic and defence ties.
- On Sunday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz left for India to begin a two-day visit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad before travelling to Bengaluru, including a kite festival and a Sabarmati Ashram visit.
- A German government official said the trip's main goal is to deepen economic relations, with bilateral trade reaching $18.31 billion in 2024, underscoring commercial stakes.
- Negotiations cover a proposed $5.2 billion Type-214 submarine co-production plan and interest by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in a six-vessel $8 billion deal, but sources say contracts are unlikely during the visit.
- Recruitment of skilled labour and healthcare workers is on the agenda, alongside student and research mobility talks, while the Bundestag's September 2025 export‑clearance update aims to ease defence and tech cooperation.
- About two weeks before an EU-India summit, Merz's visit signals wider European engagement as structural hurdles like the lack of a bilateral investment treaty and visa delays remain amid strong people-to-people links with the Indian diaspora in Germany exceeding 300,000 and over 50,000 Indian students.
20 Articles
20 Articles
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives for his first official visit to India
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has arrived in India for his first official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are set to hold talks in Gujarat to review the India–Germany Strategic Partnership.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz flies to India to expand trade relations with the mega-state. Premier Modi has considered a special surprise for him.
India’s Modi to host German leader to bolster trade, defence ties
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz left for India on Sunday for a visit to bolster economic and security ties between the top EU economy and the Asian population giant. Both Berlin and New Delhi face a turbulent world order and a set of economic and geopolitical challenges from the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China. Merz’s visit from Monday – his first to an Asian country since he took office last May – comes two weeks ahe…
In search of new friends and more independence from the old visited Merz on his first Asia trip India. But there you can see many things differently than in Berlin.
The German chancellor takes new paths in Asia diplomacy. The goal of his first major journey to the largest continent in the world is a surprise.
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