Bilateral relations Editorial WORLD World News

India and the UAE :

In April 2025, India and the UAE agreed to strengthen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, focusing on defense, trade, and education .

Key Highlights of India-UAE Relations in April 2025:

Defense Cooperation: Both countries will scale up defense cooperation through training exchanges and formalized Coast Guard collaboration via an MoU . They will also increase defense industry collaboration and explore opportunities for partnerships in defense manufacturing, with a focus on the “Make-in-India” and “Make-in-Emirates” initiatives .
Economic Ties: India and the UAE are working towards a goal of $100 billion in non-oil trade . Dubai has played a key role in advancing the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership .
Education: The first overseas campuses of IIM-Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade will open in Dubai .
Healthcare: A 100-bed “India-UAE Friendship Hospital” will be established in Dubai to provide affordable healthcare to the Indian diaspora .
Infrastructure: Cochin Shipyard Ltd and Drydocks World (DDW) signed an MoU to develop ship repair clusters in Kochi, Kerala, and Vadinar, Gujarat .
MoUs Signed: Eight MoUs were signed covering infrastructure, healthcare, education, and trade to build on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the Bilateral Investment Treaty .
Defense Partnership Forum: The India-UAE Defence Partnership Forum has the potential to create strategic Joint Ventures and co-production projects that benefit both countries .
Prime Minister Modi’s Remarks: Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen India-UAE ties, noting Dubai’s key role in advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership .
Crown Prince’s Visit: The Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, made his first official visit to India, reaffirming the deep-rooted friendship and paving the way for stronger collaboration .

Trade between India and the UAE :

Recently, trade between India and the UAE has seen substantial growth, boosted by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that was implemented in May 2022 ..

Overall Increase: During April-January of FY25, bilateral trade between India and the UAE increased by 21.35% to $80.51 billion .
Export Growth: India’s exports to the UAE rose by 6.82% to $30 billion during the first 10 months of FY25 .
Import Growth: Imports from the UAE increased significantly, rising by 35.58% to $50.51 billion during the same period .
Non-Oil Trade: A key target of the CEPA is to increase non-oil trade to $100 billion by 2030. In 2023-24, non-oil trade reached $57.8 billion, accounting for more than half of the total trade between the two countries .
CEPA Utilization: Since the CEPA came into force, about 240,000 certificates of origin have been issued, covering exports worth $19.87 billion to the UAE .
Trade Diversification: The agreement has promoted diversification in the trade basket. Besides traditional items like refined crude oil and gems and jewelry, there’s been an increase in electrical machinery, equipment, light and medium high technology goods, and chemicals . Smartphones have also emerged as a major export item, with shipments valued at $2.57 billion in 2023-24 .
Future expectations: It is expected that the value of UAE’s non-oil trade with India will increase to over US$ 100 billion over the next five years .