Commonwealth 2.0

The best matches are made not in heaven but when one side has the time and the other the inclination. The truth of that maxim was on display at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London. The British, as they prepare to exit the EU, are looking afresh at the Commonwealth, hoping to breathe life back into the 53-member grouping and create a “Commonwealth 2.0”. Narendra Modi was courted furiously by the British to show up. He was rewarded with a lengthy meeting with UK Prime Minister Theresa May and an audience with Queen Elizabeth. Modi’s trip also had the Ministry of External Affairs mandarins’ approval who work on the rough-and-ready principle of ‘it’s better to be part of a multilateral organisation than out of it’. For India, Commonwealth 2.0 would have to be a multilateral trade organisation — of equals — shorn of any colonial legacies.

Before the summit, Indian diplomats pointed out India wants freer travel and greater access for Indian skilled labour in exchange for any special trade deals. Other Commonwealth leaders too see improved visa access for their citizens as a quid-pro-quo for more trade. As luck would have it, just as Britain’s Commonwealth charm offensive moved into high gear, the “Windrush” scandal broke. Windrush refers to a ship that carried Caribbean post-war migrants, who’ve been caught up in a harsh tightening of British immigration rules. May apologised to Commonwealth leaders for Britain’s appalling treatment of the “Windrush” generation who arrived as children but she’s an immigration hardliner and is unlikely to offer big concessions on visas.

Still, Modi also sees that in our turbulent age, it’s best to make as many alliances as possible. The Commonwealth includes 2.3 billion of the world’s population and resource-rich stars like Canada, Australia and African countries. Modi and May laid the ground for a possible post-Brexit free-trade deal, though its negotiation could take some time. For Britain, though, there’s no arguing with the cold numbers which show almost 50 per cent of its trade is with the EU and only 9 per cent with Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth Secretariat contends trade within the grouping could rise by 33 per cent to over $1 trillion. Critics, however, say it’s pie-in-the-sky thinking to believe attempts to pull the Commonwealth out of semi-retirement can be a substitute for Britain’s EU membership. For India, though, there may be economic upside to being in a closer Commonwealth relationship as it’s a club to which China does not belong.

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