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."
