Brazilian VP Alckmin meets VP Radhakrishnan, focus on trade and technology

Brazilian Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, met with Indian Vice President CP Radhakrishnan in New Delhi on Thursday, highlighting a renewed push to deepen bilateral economic and strategic ties between the two countries. The high-level interaction comes amid a series of visits and meetings aimed at consolidating India-Brazil cooperation in trade, defence, energy, and emerging sectors such as Artificial Intelligence and digitalisation.

Following the meeting, the Office of the Vice President stated that both leaders were optimistic about strengthening trade and economic relations. The discussions covered a wide spectrum of areas: energy cooperation, pharmaceuticals, defence partnerships, research investments, improved connectivity, and collaboration in technology-driven sectors.

Alckmin, who arrived in India on Wednesday, is engaging in a packed schedule of interactions with top Indian leaders to explore opportunities across trade, industry, energy, and strategic domains. The Ministry of External Affairs described the visit as a step forward in “adding momentum to the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership.” A video shared by the Brazilian Embassy in India on social media showed Alckmin exploring New Delhi and interacting with locals, reflecting a warm and informal side of the visit alongside its diplomatic agenda.

Earlier on Wednesday, Alckmin met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Both sides underlined the strategic importance of defence and security cooperation, with Singh noting that defence collaboration is one of the five key pillars of India-Brazil relations. “As two large democracies and growing major economies, we have common interests and aspirations to play a larger role in international governance and economic architecture,” Singh remarked.

Alckmin’s schedule includes meetings with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to explore new avenues in trade, manufacturing, and energy. On Friday, October 17, he is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to review overall bilateral cooperation and discuss regional and multilateral issues, signaling a comprehensive approach to strengthening ties.

This visit follows the sixth India-Brazil Strategic Dialogue held earlier this month in New Delhi, led by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Brazil’s Ambassador Celso Luis Nunes Amorim. Discussions there spanned defence, energy, critical minerals, health, and pharmaceuticals, alongside coordination in multilateral platforms including BRICS, IBSA, and the upcoming COP-30 climate summit in Brazil.

Economic engagement remains at the forefront of Alckmin’s visit. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Brazil in July, both nations agreed to raise bilateral trade to USD 20 billion within five years. Merchandise trade between India and Brazil reached USD 12.19 billion in FY 2024-25, establishing Brazil as India’s largest trading partner in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The visit also builds on the outcomes of the seventh India-Brazil Trade Monitoring Mechanism (TMM) held on October 7. Co-chaired by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and Brazil’s Secretary of Foreign Trade Tatiana Lacerda Prazeres, the discussions focused on enhancing market access, investment cooperation, and expanding the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). Areas such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, chemicals, MSMEs, finance, and internal trade were also explored, alongside easing visa processes and promoting multilateral coordination.

Vice President Alckmin’s visit is more than ceremonial; it is a strategic move to solidify the India-Brazil partnership ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s planned state visit to India next year. The discussions and agreements during this visit are likely to serve as building blocks for implementing the roadmap set during the Modi-Lula summit in July, particularly in trade expansion, defence collaboration, and innovation-driven economic cooperation.

Alckmin’s visit highlights India’s focus on strengthening ties with Latin America, particularly in trade, defence, and technology. While the discussions signal optimism, the real test lies in translating these broad goals into actionable agreements, addressing trade barriers, and ensuring measurable progress in emerging sectors like AI, digitalisation, and energy cooperation.