Page 11 - India-uk

FTA talks 'laser-focussed': UK officials as trade minister heads to India

India and the UK have made good progress in closing chapters and the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations are now laser-focussed on goods, services and investment, UK officials said on Wednesday ahead of Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch's visit to India to attend the G20 summit. After the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Jaipur, which is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Badenoch is expected to head to New Delhi for bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Their discussions will coincide with the ongoing twelfth round of FTA negotiations that are underway in Delhi since last week. The UK and India are committed to working towards the best deal possible for both sides. We've made good progress in closing chapters, and are now laser-focused on goods, services, and investment, said a UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) spokesperson. While we cannot comment on ongoing negotiations, we are clear that we

FTA talks: Treaty to figure prominently during UK's high-level team visit

Issues pertaining to the proposed bilateral investment treaty being negotiated between India and the UK along with a free trade agreement will figure prominently during the visit of a high-level team from Britain here, an official said. UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch and Director General for Trade Negotiations at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Amanda Brooks are visiting India this week. Besides participating in the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Jaipur on August 24-25, the UK minister will hold bilateral talks with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on August 26 here and review the progress of talks on the free trade agreement. The UK minister is also expected to meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on various issues, including the bilateral investment treaty. Brooks would also meet senior officials of the department of economic affairs in the finance ministry, which is leading the negotiations on the investment

Requirements for a UK work visa might get easier for Indians. Here is why

Net migration to the UK reached an unprecedented 606,000 individuals last year

Govt likely to slash duty on UK cars, scotch whisky under trade pact

Striking a trade accord is critical for India's ambition to become a manufacturing powerhouse, while the UK is seeking to clinch new deals to highlight the benefits of Brexit

Trend line on India-UK FTA very positive, says High Commissioner Doraiswami

Ahead of the 12th round of the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations starting in New Delhi on Wednesday, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK has expressed optimism that officials on both sides will be able to get something working and find a right fit towards a mutually beneficial pact. High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami told PTI that he is positive as both countries seem keen to make necessary adjustments, recognising the complexities involved with the very different structures of the two similar-sized economies. On the wider bilateral partnership, he expressed similar optimism around an "obvious synergy" across different sectors. I'm positive about it (FTA) My intention is that to the extent we can, we would like a mutually beneficial forward-looking FTA to be concluded, said the High Commissioner. I believe both sides are keen on making the necessary adjustments. Even though we're both similar-sized economies, we are dissimilar in the structures of our economies a

Govt hopes to close India-UK free trade agreement issues by month-end

The 12th round of talks between the countries is in progress here and is expected to continue until at least 28 August

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande leaves for UK to attend military event

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Wednesday left for the UK on a five-day visit to attend a prestigious military event and hold talks with the top British defence brass on bilateral strategic issues. Gen Pande will review the 201st Sovereign's Parade of Commissioning Course at the prestigious Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst as the 'Sovereign's Representative' for the parade, the Army said. The Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is a reputed event, known for its illustrious history and the passing out of officer cadets from across the globe. Gen Pande is the first Chief of the Army Staff from India to be the Sovereign's Representative for the parade, according to the Army. The Chief of Army Staff will also be visiting the Indian Army Memorial room which occupies a place of pride in the Royal Military Academy. He is scheduled to hold talks with with Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of General Staff of the British Army and Gen Gwyn Jenkins, Vice Chief of Defence

Demand on data-related issues, concessions on dairy out of India-UK FTA

Protecting the interest of domestic players, India has kept demands of Britain on data related issues and giving any kind of duty concessions on dairy sector out of the ambit of the proposed free trade agreement being negotiated between the two countries, sources said. However, India is looking at providing duty concessions on auto, and certain confectionery items, they said. The negotiation for the agreement has reached a critical stage and in all likelihood it could be concluded by October end or November. The talks received a great impetus due to the recent visit of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal to London in July, where both held a series of meetings with different stakeholders including senior British officials. The negotiation would get a further fillip during the meetings of trade ministers of India and the UK at the sidelines of G20 trade ministers meeting this month in Jaipur. "The visit of the Indian minister and secreta

India, UK launch health care alliance in a bid boost bilateral ties

Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS, England, said he believed that both countries face many challenges in healthcare and they have many opportunities too

India, Britain could sign free trade agreement this year: Trade ministry

New Delhi sees an FTA with Britain as crucial to hopes of becoming a bigger exporter, while the UK would obtain wider access for its whisky, premium cars and legal services

India, UK hold first Defence & Military Tech Cooperation workshop in London

Senior government officials, sectoral experts and industry representatives came together in London for a first-of-its-kind discussion to explore synergies between India and the UK in the defence and military technology sector and work as a catalyst to enhance bilateral cooperation in the sphere. The UK-India Defence and Military Technology Cooperation workshop, organised by the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in partnership with India's Bharat Shakti defence platform on Tuesday, explored collaborative defence research and industrial production partnerships between the two countries. It covered topics such as the Evolving strategic context of UK-India defence relations', 'Perspectives on India's Atmanirbhar programme and the UK's defence technology partnerships' and boosting military and manufacturing partnerships against the backdrop of the India-UK 2030 Roadmap's focus on Defence and Security' as a key pillar of bilateral ties. "This is

India-UK FTA: Ongoing talks to clear thorny issues like labour, environment

Till now, out of 26 policy areas or chapters, 14 chapters have been closed for negotiations, while significant progress has been made in other chapters

India, UK working to iron out issues on IPRs, rules of origin under FTA

India and the UK are working to iron out differences on issues like intellectual property rights (IPRs) and rules of origin under the free trade agreement being negotiated by the two countries, a top government official said on Friday. The 11th round of talks is underway in the UK for the agreement. Negotiations for the trade agreement started in January 2021. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that out of 26 chapters in the agreement, 14 have been closed. In five chapters there are certain important contentious issues pertaining to environment, labour, and digital trade. This agreement is the "most complex" one which will be going to be signed by India, he told reporters here. "UK will be the first with which we are going to have a comprehensive FTA which we have not signed with any other developed country as such," he added. There are some differences with respect to IPR and rules of origin (ROO). "In services also, there are few issues...So we are working on those issues.

Out of alignment

India should accept international arbitration

India-UK FTA: Goyal, Badenoch discuss thorny issues in negotiations

India and the UK began negotiations on the FTA in January 2022, and set a Diwali deadline last year for the trade pact

Piyush Goyal meets UK counterpart to discuss free trade agreement

Goyal was on a two-day visit to the UK, which began on July 10

India-UK FTA: Half the chapters in pact agreed on, says UK minister

The United Kingdom is keen that free trade pact being negotiated with India is completed at the earliest as it re-focuses its attention of the growing markets of the Indo-Pacific, however the financial powerhouse is not setting any deadlines for the agreements which will include deals on service sector and investments. UK's Minister for International Trade, Nigel Huddleston, in an exclusive interview to PTI said that half the chapters in the deal have already been concluded and work is on to complete the negotiations as soon as possible. We have made good progress on the FTA we have concluded negotiations on half the chapters in the pact. We want a comprehensive agreement on both goods and services. It (the pact with India) is going to be very important as part of our shift towards the Indo-Pacific, the UK Minister said. We are particularly keen to get this FTA with India as we have strong historic ties, he added. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had earlier last week indicated

No deal for access to Britain's labour market: UK on India FTA talks

Britain launched trade talks with India in January last year, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stressed that he won't sacrifice quality for speed in negotiations

India and UK regulators close to resolving clearing house impasse

The legal framework of India, as implemented by the RBI, provides for an effective equivalent system for the recognition of central counterparties authorised under other regimes of other countries

Top headlines: India seeks import duty relaxation, US flags policy barriers

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