UK announces plan for 'quantum leap' in relations with India

Britain has agreed to increase cooperation with India in areas including trade, science and health as Indian authorities battle a surge in coronavirus infections that threatens to overwhelm the nation’s health care system

LONDON -- Britain said Tuesday it's agreed to increase cooperation with India in areas including trade, science and health as Indian authorities battle a surge in coronavirus infections that threatens to overwhelm the nation's health care system. Plans for a “quantum leap” in relations between the two countries were released after a video meeting between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. Prior to the meeting, Britain announced 1 billion pounds ($1.4 billion) of trade deals with India, including an investment by the Serum Institute of India that will aid in the development of vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases. The two leaders agreed to deepen ties between the U.K. and India over the next decade, including plans to negotiate a free-trade agreement and double the amount of trade between the two over the next decade. A free-trade deal with India, the world's sixth-biggest economy, would be a coup for Johnson's government, which is trying to increase its trade with countries outside the European Union following the U.K.’s departure from the bloc.