India-France partnership lifeline amid geopolitical tension: CJI Surya Kant

CJI Surya Kant emphasizes the vital India-France partnership amid geopolitical tensions at the Indo-French Legal and Business Conference.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has said that the forces of disruption and geopolitical tension threaten to destabilise the very framework of international cooperation, and in such a world, the France-India partnership is not a luxury but a lifeline.

Speaking at the Indo-French Legal and Business Conference on Friday (January 30, 2026), the CJI said the relationship between the two countries has long transcended the purely diplomatic and is instead a multi-dimensional architecture, encompassing everything from the sanctity of the defence and security cooperation to a shared pursuit of sustainable growth and advanced technologies.

"We have witnessed a remarkable acceleration in our bilateral trade, which has more than doubled over the last decade, surging from $6.4 billion in 2009-10 to an impressive $15.11 billion in the last fiscal year," he said.

Speaking on the topic of "Cross-Border Dispute Resolution: Courts, Arbitration and India-France Year of Innovation 2026", Justice Kant said, "The relationship between France and India is not a creation of convenience, it is a bond forged over centuries. Today, standing on the shoulders of this history, we face a world transformed by uncertainty. The forces of disruption and geopolitical tension threaten to destabilise the very framework of international cooperation. In such a world, the France-India partnership is not a luxury; it is a lifeline."

He added that united by the shared belief in democracy, the rule of law and the pursuit of a peaceful and just global order, both countries possess complementary strengths.

"As we stand at the precipice of the Year of Innovation 2026, we are no longer just building the nest, we are mapping the sky in which we fly," he said, adding that as India and France enter a new phase of innovation this year, they do so supported by a dispute-resolution architecture that is not reactive, but anticipatory, not adversarial, but principled, and not merely efficient, but enduring.