India’s new P4M middle-power group enters a crowded field

India has joined a new multilateral grouping comprising a cross-regional mix of middle powers, in a move analysts say reflects New Delhi’s efforts to broaden its diplomatic options as it pushes for changes to the global order.External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar co-chaired the inaugural Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) Summit on Monday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.“We meet at a time when the global order is under stress,” Jaishankar said at the summit.“For some decades, the world has witnessed a steady rebalancing, which was a long-expected structural evolution. However, extreme competition, geopolitical tensions and actual conflicts have given this an entirely different character.”India was among the initial co-sponsors of the P4M initiative alongside Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the European Union and Kenya, giving Delhi a direct role in shaping the forum’s future direction.P4M’s founding members say the initiative intends to “build coalitions across divides” amid rising geopolitical polarisation and growing pressure on the multilateral system. The group has pledged to work together on UN reform, supply chain resilience, trade, finance, emerging technologies and climate change.Leaders attend the Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) Summit ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York, on Monday. Photo: EPA“India can use it to build issue-based coalitions without being locked into either Western or non-Western blocs,” said Swaran Singh, a former professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies in Delhi.Singh highlighted that P4M’s founding declaration committed members to reforming, rather than replacing, the existing multilateral order.