Mumbai

India is engaging with global partners more intensively and from a position of strength, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, pointing to recently concluded trade agreements, including a pact with the United States.

Speaking at the Global Economic Cooperation conference here, Jaishankar said the international system is undergoing profound shifts, with the world witnessing the weaponisation of production and finance, the strategic use of market access, and tighter export controls.

“From a position of strength, India is engaging international partners more intensively. This is demonstrated in the recently concluded trade deals,” he said.

The minister observed that the global environment has entered a phase of heightened volatility and uncertainty, describing it as possibly the most turbulent period in living memory.

“The established global order is clearly changing; replacements are hard to create and we appear to be headed towards a long twilight zone,” he added.

Jaishankar’s remarks come in the backdrop of a recent phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, following which both sides announced a reduction in US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent.

Last month, India and the European Union concluded negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement, which is expected to boost two-way trade and strengthen economic ties between the two sides, officials have said.