TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (June 5) thanked President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) for congratulating him on his election win.
Despite setbacks for his Bharatiya Janata Party, Modi gained enough support from regional allies to declare victory in India's national elections on Tuesday evening (June 4), ensuring a historic third term as prime minister. Lai sent a congratulatory message on Wednesday which was unexpectedly reciprocated by Modi the same day, breaking from the past precedent of India avoiding direct public messaging to Taiwan's leaders.
Lai posted on X offering his “sincere congratulations” to Modi for his election victory. He added his administration looks forward to “enhancing the fast-growing Taiwan-India partnership.”
Areas he highlighted for cooperation included trade and technology and to “contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”
Modi retweeted Lai's post and thanked him for his “warm message.” Modi expressed anticipation of closer ties as “we work towards mutually beneficial economic and technological partnership.”
Within an hour, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) added a comment to Modi's post hailing a “new chapter in Taiwan-India relations!” Indian scholar Yusuf Unjhawala said that this is “perhaps the first such exchange” between India's prime minister and Taiwan's president and said he had predicted this shift in Modi's policy toward Taiwan.