India, UK to start FTA talks tomorrow

London, January 10

Britain’s Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan will launch Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations during a visit to New Delhi starting on Wednesday, the UK Government has said.

UK trade minister on two-day visit

• Britain’s Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s two-day schedule includes bilateral talks with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal
• They are expected to discuss a range of issues, including green trade and the removal of market access barriers for both UK and Indian businesses

Trade equation

£23.3 billion total trade between the UK and India in 2019

95,000 jobs that Indian investment has created in the UK

The schedule for the two-day visit to India will include bilateral talks between Trevelyan and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday, the Department for International Trade (DIT) said on Sunday.

Trevelyan and Goyal are expected to discuss a range of issues, including green trade and the removal of market access barriers for both UK and Indian businesses, the DIT said.

Both ministers are then expected to confirm the launch of official negotiations on a new UK-India FTA.

“The UK and India are already close friends and trading partners, and building on that strong relationship is a priority for 2022,” said Trevelyan.

“I will be using my visit to drive forward an ambitious trade agenda which represents the UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt in action and shows how we are seizing global opportunities as an independent trading nation,” she said.

“This is just the start of a five-star year of UK trade, forging closer economic partnerships around the globe and negotiating deals that work for businesses, families and consumers in every part of the UK,” she added.

On Thursday, the UK minister will join Goyal to co-host the 15th UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee to review how businesses in both countries are benefiting from existing market access commitments under the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership agreed last May by PMs Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi.

The DIT said the UK Trade Secretary is expected to meet several Cabinet ministers, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. —PTI