What a third term for Modi means for the world

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won a third term in power yesterday, leading a country with the world's biggest population and fastest-growing economy.

The 73-year-old Hindu nationalist leader, who is pushing for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, has been courted by the United States and European allies as a counterweight to China. Here is how a third term for Modi could build on a decade of his diplomatic ambitions.

UNITED STATES, EUROPE

President Joe Biden hosted Modi for a state dinner last year and has called ties with India the "defining partnership of the 21st century".

In February, Washington approved a $4 billion sale of state-of-the-art drones to India, the latest bolster to India's defence in a counterbalance to neighbouring China.

That deepening of ties has come despite rights groups sounding the alarm about threats to India's democracy and increased discrimination towards the 200-million-plus Muslim minority.

India also has strong ties with European countries. With France, it hopes to expand multi-billion-dollar deals including the sale of Rafale fighter jets.

CHINA

Relations between the world's two most populous countries slumped in 2020 after their troops fought a deadly high-altitude skirmish along their 3,500-kilometre frontier.

Modi's right-wing government has pumped billions of dollars into border infrastructure and boosted military spending by 13 percent last year -- but it is still barely a quarter of China's.

RUSSIA

New Delhi and Moscow have ties dating back to the Cold War and Russia remains by far the biggest arms supplier.

India has shied away from explicit condemnation of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, abstained on UN resolutions censuring Moscow, and snapped up cut-price Russian crude oil supplies.

Modi in March congratulated President Vladimir Putin on his re-election.

PAKISTAN

Modi's government has refused to engage with Pakistan since accusing Islamabad of cross-border terrorism.

In 2015 Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore but relations plummeted in 2019. But in March, Modi congratulated Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif on his return to the premiership. It was a rare expression of goodwill between leaders of two rivals.

'GLOBAL SOUTH'

Modi has also projected India as a key member of the BRICS club of emerging economies, and this week called New Delhi "a strong and important voice of the Global South". It was under Modi's watch that the African Union bloc joined the G20, with India arguing developing nations need a greater say in global decision-making.