The future of global economic growth will be shaped by strategic partnerships rather than traditional multilateral trade, and India is well poised to take advantage of the global transition, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Columbia University during her US visit. Where the past decades saw global growth led by broad multilateral trade, the coming years, I think, will likely be defined by strategic economic partnerships and India is very well poised to take advantage of this transition, the Finance Minister said. She further added that Indias strategic decisions will be watched by the world as the nation seeks to strengthen ties with countries that share strategic coherence and play central roles in global supply chains. Emphasising the priorities of the government, she said that the country is looking towards boosting domestic capacities, becoming more self-reliant, in critical sectors and building resilience against external shocks. During her address, she emphasised that Indias macroeconomic fundamentals are strong which are positioning the country to thrive amid a shifting global economic landscape. Sitharaman highlighted Indias remarkable economic rise, noting that it has become the worlds fifth-largest economy and is on track to become the third-largest by 2027, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).