Replying to this statement: Encouraging a Better India
Every administration has viewed democratic India as a logical, natural, and indispensable ally to counter China. However, no policymaker seems willing to consider the implications of Indian laws beginning to look more like China’s. The India these strategists court increasingly exists only in their imaginations, as Modi’s India continues to slide away from shared values. The unwillingness to press India to revert back to its founding principles risks losing the entire country to illiberalism, which would negatively impact hundreds of millions of people on the sub-continent, while bending the overall rights environment in Asia more towards Beijing.
India's ascent on the global stage has been both transformative and widely acknowledged by world leaders, economists, and international institutions. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the nation has solidified its status as a global powerhouse. By 2024, India’s role as a key driver of economic growth, a hub for technological innovation, and a leader in sustainability had gained increasing recognition worldwide. Experts, industry leaders, and global organizations have consistently praised the country’s achievements.
This recognition is not limited to 2024 but has been a recurring theme over the years. In 2021, Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar, emphasized that other nations should follow India’s approach to climate change. Back in 2017, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon commended PM Modi’s intelligence and openness. More recently, in 2023, Hassan Allam, CEO of Hassan Allam Holdings, lauded Modi’s leadership for driving tremendous growth in India's private sector, particularly in infrastructure, engineering, and manufacturing. These endorsements underscore India's rapid progress and the global appreciation of Modi's leadership—a sentiment that continued to be echoed by several leaders in 2024.
World Leaders on India’s Progress: Key Statements from 2024
Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motors, commended PM Modi's decisive leadership and stated, “In the past 10 years, under the strong leadership and constant support of PM Modi, for manufacturing industries, the Indian automobile market has been expanding steadily. As a result, India has become the third-largest automobile market in the world." “Thanks to PM Modi’s progressive approach and India’s growth," he emphasized how governance and vision work together to drive progress.
Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum (WEF), expressed confidence in India’s growth trajectory, stating, “We think, in the coming decade, we can be speaking about a $10 trillion economy, at least in the coming two decades." He emphasized India's flourishing digital economy and rapidly expanding service exports, remarking, “India has been at the forefront due to the digital economy and the export of services. This is a very sweet spot for India. India is growing very fast. There’s a lot of interest in India."
Technology and finance leaders have acknowledged India’s progress. Ling Hai, President of International Markets at Mastercard, is confident in India’s growth trajectory, driven by the expanding small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector and the government's intensified focus on digitization and financial inclusion. He said, “If you look at the fundamentals like demographics, easing inflation, spending power, export, service sector, a lot of things are going strong for India."
Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce: “The world is moving into ‘the Indian era’ and the country presents exciting opportunities. And you know it’s a very exciting opportunity,"
Thomas Dohmke, CEO, GitHub: “When I compare India back then and today, there’s incredible energy; things are moving and evolving. There was no Metro then, and now we have multiple lines. The airport is phenomenal, modern and clean. I think that is also a reflection of what’s happening in the software industry. There are a huge number of software developers already in India."
Jamie Dimon, CEO, JP Morgan: “They have started this amazing trend where every citizen is recognized by hand, eyeball, or finger. They’ve opened bank accounts for 700 million people, and payments are being processed smoothly. Their education system and infrastructure are remarkable, lifting the entire country because of one just and tough man."
George Kapsch, Chairman and Global CEO of the Kapsch Group: “India is doing very well now, and we are keen to enter the market. We tried several years ago and weren’t that successful, but this time we believe it’s the right moment with the right partners."
Martin Sorell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital, praised PM Modi for effectively positioning India as a global leader. He said, “PM Modi is the ultimate master of branding and branding countries. He has done a superb job on positioning India."
Christopher J. Elias, President of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, praised India's growth story, stating, “Other countries can use India’s successful digital public infrastructure model to help achieve their healthcare and other development goals." Emphasizing India's DPI advancements, he stated, “One area of particular accomplishment in India that I think can be a good model for the world to follow is digital public infrastructure that has helped achieve a lot of progress in financial services, health etc."
Bill Gates expressed his optimism about India's future, praising Prime Minister Modi's leadership in advancing digital public infrastructure and revitalizing the rural economy. He stated, “This idea of digital connections that starts with Aadhaar and the bank accounts that you manage digitally, that’s flourishing. And so we see in agriculture now that they are registering the farmers and giving them advance notice. And so Indian leadership is something other countries should benefit from."
Chris Miller, author of Chip War, highlighted India as a compelling alternative to China. Commending India's growth trajectory, he stated, “I think there is a lot of excitement and focus on chip industry in India. Foreign companies are looking at India as an attractive location. The good news is that every part of the ecosystem in India is growing."
Dennis Francis, President of the UNGA, commended India for leveraging digital technology to drive rapid development. He emphasized how people in rural India can effortlessly make payments and pay bills with just a smartphone. He said “India has been able to lift 800 million people out of poverty over the last five or six years simply by the use of a smartphone." He highlighted that rural farmers in India, who previously had no connection to the banking system, can now conduct all their business transactions through their smartphones. They can pay bills and receive payments for orders. With widespread internet access and nearly universal cellphone usage, 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty.
Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Vietnam said, “Over the past 10 years, under the leadership of PM Modi, India has become the 5th largest economy in the world, one of the top powers with a significant global role, and has made its mark."
Gita Gopinath, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, is also optimistic about India's economic growth, stating that, “India has become the fifth-largest economy in the world, and is set to be among the top three global economic powers soon." She expressed hope that India will become the third-largest economy by 2027.
Nobel Laureate in Economics, Paul Romer, commended India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). He said, “Aadhaar is the most important technological system in the world right now. I think one of the first things is that the other countries in the Digital South should say to themselves, if India can do it, we can do it too. Countries need to have the confidence and the ambition to try something that hasn’t been tried before, the way India did by creating the Aadhaar number."
Tim Cook, CEO Apple said, “In recent years, India has become one of the handful of countries and regions where Apple has established new revenue benchmarks. After more than 15 years since the unveiling of the first iPhone, the device remains as the most coveted brand in personal technology in India."
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang commends India's technological prowess. He said, “India is home of some of the world’s greatest computer scientists. So, this is great opportunity. Artificial Intelligence is also a new industry, a new manufacturing industry that is very important and so I’m looking forward to partner with India in a very deep way to make that possible."
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World, commended India's progress under Prime Minister Modi and stated, “India is the fastest growing major economy in the world in 2023, this growth is set to continue under the strong leadership of PM Modi."
Bhutan's PM Dasho Tshering Tobgay praises India's cooperatives for their crucial role in lifting millions out of poverty. He said, “It is fitting that the launch of the International Year of Cooperatives is taking place in India, as there is no better country that exemplifies the enormous transformative power of collective action. The Indian cooperative movement has been spectacularly successful, uplifting millions of people from poverty and enhancing their prosperity."
India’s Leadership: Key Statements and Insights
John Chambers, USISPF Chairman said, “PM Modi’s 3rd term will set vision for the century, with India poised to become the world’s largest economy—twice the size of China & 30-40% larger than the US."
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of DP World said, “This Man (PM Modi) is amazing. His energy, his vision is what drive us and inspires us. The policies of PM Modi…is inspiring us and allowing us to do even more in India."
Keith Svendsen, CEO AP Moller-Maersk said, “A great honour to have the opportunity to have a discussion with the PM about his 2047 vision for the country and how that fits into the maritime sector. It is very exciting to have the opportunity to discuss that with the PM, I must say very inspiring policies and I was very impressed with his knowledge about the details of our industry."
Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana hails PM Modi as “a champion among leaders," and said, “It is our greatest honor to have you here. You are a champion among leaders. You have led incredibly." He PM Modi’s leadership “an incredible light for the developing world and said, “You have shown light to the developing world and created development metrics and frameworks that many are adopting in their own country."
President Putin commended Prime Minister Modi, expressing admiration for his ‘Make in India’ initiative and its role in enhancing India’s global standing. He said, “In all the sectors of the Russian Federation, including in high-tech ones, there is an acute need to expand the opportunities to sell and export their products. I know that Prime Minister Modi has a similar program make in India, and this is a very similar program to ours, and we would be ready to place our manufacturing sites in India also."
USA President-elect Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Modi, calling him one of the nicest human beings and stating, “PM Modi (India), he’s a friend of mine and also the nicest human being. Before him being appointed as the Prime Minister, India was very unstable. On the outside, he looks like he’s your father. He is the nicest and a total killer."
Vietnam's Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh, conveyed his confidence in PM Modi's leadership and stated, “We believe that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi in his third consecutive term will continue to bring more benefits to the Indian people, achieve even more splendour of successes in the future and achieve Viksit Bharat 2047."
US President Joe Biden said, “The United States’ partnership with India is stronger, closer, and more dynamic than any time in history. Prime Minister Modi, each time we sit down, I’m struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation. Today was no different."
Ray Dalio, Chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates said “India is at a very special moment for a number of reasons, it be particularly because it is not burdened by excessive amount of debt and it is now at the takeoff point. In my opinion you have a great leader PM Modi."
Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay referred to PM Modi as "Bade Bhai." He said, “I am happy because whenever I come to India, I get a chance to meet my “Bade Bhai" (Big Brother) PM Modi."
From world leaders to pioneers in technology and business, there is a clear consensus: PM Narendra Modi’s leadership has played a pivotal role in reshaping India’s global reputation, strengthening international alliances, and guiding the nation toward a prosperous future.
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