India, Vietnam Elevate Ties to Enhanced Strategic Partnership

India and Vietnam elevated their bilateral relationship to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership on Wednesday, signing 13 agreements to expand cooperation in trade, defense, critical minerals, and other sectors, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President To Lam held talks in New Delhi.

The leaders set a target to increase annual bilateral trade from the current $16 billion to $25 billion by 2030. Bilateral trade has doubled over the past decade, and the new pacts cover areas including digital payments, rare earth minerals, pharmaceuticals, education, banking, and culture. Modi highlighted initiatives to ease exports of Indian agricultural, fisheries, and animal products to Vietnam, including grapes and pomegranates. The two countries also agreed to link India's Unified Payments Interface with Vietnam's fast payment system and enhance central bank cooperation.

Lam's three-day state visit, his first to India since his election as president earlier this month, began on Tuesday with a high-level delegation. The talks addressed expanding ties amid geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific, where both nations committed to upholding the rule of law, peace, stability, and...