Opinion: India Boosts Global Role With PM Modi's Foreign Visits

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India is seeking to transition from aid receiver to agenda setter in the Global South
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just wrapped up a marathon visit to five countries in the last eight days. This has been his longest foreign visit in over a decade, covering Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia.
In fact, as of July 2025, Modi has undertaken 90 international trips to 78 countries, including visits to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly since May 2014. In the first seven months of 2025, he has visited France and USA (February 10-14); Mauritius (March 11-12); Thailand and Sri Lanka (April 3-6); Saudi Arabia (April 22); Cyprus, Canada and Croatia (June 15-19) and now Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia (July 2-9). These foreign trips between 2014 and 2025 have certified him as India's most widely travelled Prime Minister by far.
The latest international sojourn was aimed at firmly establishing India's footprint across the Global South. Modi attended the 17th BRICS Summit in Brasilia (Brazil), multiple bilateral engagements and received four national awards (27 overall since 2014). India's focus this time was on expanding her cooperation in critical minerals, energy and digital infrastructure.
What did this trip in particular achieve? First and foremost, this eight-day trip was used by India to highlight the growing and menacing tentacles of terrorism, especially state-sponsored terrorism, without naming any specific nation, though it was clear as daylight that his sight was trained on a highly militarised and economically compromised Pakistan. Modi's message was clear and consistent – the international community must consciously abstain from politicising terrorism and avoid establishing an equation between victims of terror and sponsors of terrorism.
'India's stand is clear. Zero tolerance of terrorism and zero double standards on terrorism."
The second takeaway was the expansion of cooperation in critical minerals. Several agreements were inked that reflected India's keen desire to explore and secure access through bilateral mechanisms to new critical mineral technologies in Africa and Latin America. There was a message in this strategic shift from India – that it was looking beyond China, its main bilateral partner and supplier in this sector, for alternatives. India's other underlying message to Beijing was this, that it is not entirely comfortable with China's move to weaponise minerals for self-benefit.
Ghana and Namibia were two countries that India approached this time for possible bilateral cooperation in Diamonds, Manganese, Lithium and Rare Earths (Ghana), Uranium, Copper and Gold (Namibia).
The third takeaway from this eight-day trip was India effectively cementing its leadership role of the Global South. Modi specifically highlighted the need for reform of global institutions like the UN, WTO, and the IMF, demanding that they be more representative of the multilateral character of the world community as well as a seat for India at the 'high table" of interaction.
Finding common ground with some of these five countries who have risen from the ashes so to speak after experiencing the horrors of colonialism was another takeaway, besides reaffirming a commitment to take the BRICS agenda forward in spite of the US' bulldozing threats. India is seeking to tweak the Western dominance of the international order and dialogue to make it more representative.
The fifth and final takeaway was energising the Indian Diaspora, which Modi sees as a key weapon driving India's foreign policy initiatives. The Prime Minister galvanised the Diaspora through announcements like grant of overseas citizenships to up to their sixth generation.
The Global South refers to a grouping of developing and emerging countries—mostly located in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. They share similar developmental challenges and desire greater representation in global decision-making platforms.
The grouping's key areas of focus are climate change, reduction of external debt burdens, ending monopolisation of strategic minerals like lithium and rare earths to enhance access to green energy tech, improve access to digital infrastructure, and reduce the AI and Fintech divide that exists between the North and South.
UPCOMING DIPLOMACY
Soon after returning from the five-nation tour, PM Modi is set to embark on a two-nation state visit to the United Kingdom (July 23–24) and the Maldives (July 25–26). The agenda includes deepening economic, defence, education, and technology cooperation with the UK, and reinforcing India's strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region through enhanced ties with the Maldives. The follow-up visit to the UK and the Maldives underscores continuity—from Atlantic outreach to consolidating relationships across the Oceanic and regional theatres.
India is seeking to transition from aid receiver to agenda setter in the Global South. At the core of its outreach is strategic diplomacy, economic cooperation, and cultural leadership, besides positioning itself as a trusted partner in an increasingly multipolar world.
Its outreach must not be seen as an indulgent joyride, but a well-calibrated and essential assertion of India's role as a rising power. India's global message is this – that it is no longer ready to be spoken for, that it will speak, and if necessary, act for itself and shape the narrative.
Bilateral pacts in trade, energy, defence, healthcare, agriculture, digital infrastructure, minerals, green energy and space technologies signal India's altering strategic intent. Reshaping global perceptions and consolidating international support for its many initiatives gives New Delhi a unique vantage point to reflect, learn and act.
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Location :
Jammu and Kashmir, India, India
First Published:
July 23, 2025, 17:28 IST
News opinion Opinion: India Boosts Global Role With PM Modi's Foreign Visits
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