U.K. Trade Minister in India to ‘kickstart’ new round of FTA talks
The Hindu
The new round marks the first formal meeting between the India-U.K. negotiating teams since July and the first since Rishi Sunak took charge as British PM
U.K. Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch arrives in New Delhi on December 12 to “kickstart” the sixth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and hold bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal.
The new round marks the first formal meeting between the India-U.K. negotiating teams since July and the first since Rishi Sunak took charge as British Prime Minister.
His Trade Secretary will address both teams of senior negotiators ahead of the sixth round of formal negotiations, scheduled to take place throughout the week.
“I’m here in New Delhi to kickstart round six of U.K.-India trade negotiations and meet my counterpart [Commerce and Industry] Minister Goyal in person to drive progress on this agreement,” said Ms. Badenoch.
“Both nations have come to the table with the very highest of ambitions and a willingness to work together towards a mutually beneficial deal. I’m excited about the opportunities we can create for British business,” she said.
“India and the U.K. are the 5th and 6th biggest economies in the world. We have a long shared history, and are in pole position to do a deal that will create jobs, encourage growth and boost our 29 billion pounds trading relationship,” she added.
The U.K. Government said the target for the FTA is to achieve a deal to cut tariffs and open opportunities for U.K. services such as financial and legal, making it easier for British businesses to sell to the Indian economy, which is set to be the world’s third largest with a middle class of 250 million people by 2050.