Page 8 - India Uk

India, UK to hold next round of talks for free trade agreement in Jan

India and the UK officials in January next year will hold the next round of talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) to resolve remaining issues, the commerce ministry said on Monday. The 13th round of negotiations for the proposed pact was held between September 18 and December 15. "The UK and India will continue to negotiate towards a comprehensive and ambitious Free Trade Agreement. The fourteenth round of negotiations will take place in January 2024," the ministry said in a statement. These negotiations focussed on complex issues including goods, services, and investment. An Indian team was in London recently. Issues which need to be resolved include duty cuts on electric vehicles and whiskey and the movement of professionals. Talks are also progressing on the proposed bilateral investment treaty (BIT). India and the UK launched the talks for a free-trade agreement (FTA) in January 2022, to conclude talks by Diwali (October 24, 2022), but the deadline was missed due

Rolls-Royce widens role in India-UK Electric Propulsion capability talks

New Delhi and London are moving together purposefully to develop marine electric propulsion. This was evident in the second meeting of the India-UK EPCP-JWG, in New Delhi on November 21

India, UK seek to wrap up trade negotiations before busy election year

It's the 13th round of negotiations on a deal intended to expand a trading relationship that was worth more than $24 billion last year

India, UK discuss regional security issues at Defence Consultative meet

India's Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and his UK counterpart David Williams co-chaired the annual India-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting here on Friday, discussing a host of regional security issues and defence industrial cooperation. According to a statement by the Defence Ministry, Aramane and Williams, the Permanent Secretary of the UK's Ministry of Defence, reviewed the ongoing defence cooperation activities, discussed the situation and potential cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region and defence industrial cooperation proposals in missile systems and Electric Propulsion, among other possibilities. Both sides planned for increased interactions and joint activities in the maritime domain with a focus on joint exercises, Maritime Domain Awareness and information exchange. They appreciated the commencement of the India-UK 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue and the increased pace of military-to-military engagements in all domains. Williams later laid a wreath at the .

India should be cautious on labour provisions in FTA negotiations: Experts

India needs to follow a cautious approach while negotiating labour provisions in free trade agreements (FTAs) as those could have potential repercussions on domestic manufacturing and overall trade competitiveness, experts say. International trade experts claimed that in a significant shift from its longstanding stance, India has begun to engage on labour issues in its trade negotiations with the UK, European Union, and the US-led Indo Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). Inclusion of these issues in trade pacts could have negative impacts, they said, adding that the recent US presidential memorandum of Joe Biden on worker rights indicates a deepening focus on labour standards in trade deals. Negotiations are on fast track with a comprehensive trade agreement with the UK, which seeks to promote trade in goods, services and two-way investments. Think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Ajay Srivastava said that such provisions could erode the competitive advant

Prolonged approval processes impact India's medical devices exports: GTRI

Prolonged regulatory approval processes in the UK impact India's exports of medical devices to the British market, think tank GTRI said on Wednesday. To promote exports of these devices, it said, India should negotiate a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) to expedite the entry of these equipment into the UK market, particularly for devices with CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation ) licence or Quality Council of India's Indian Certification of Medical Devices (ICMED) certification. The MRA would reduce regulatory compliance and audit requirements, potentially enhancing India's exports, Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava said. The suggestion assumes significance as both the countries are negotiating a free trade agreement and this sector is an important part of that. The existing zero import duties on medical devices in the UK imply no direct tariff-related advantages for India under the FTA, it said. This means, India's medical devices

India-UK FTA: Issues to be resolved in coming weeks, says Piyush Goyal

Goyal said both sides had several rounds of negotiations, and 20 out of 26 chapters have been sealed

No deadline for conclusion of India-UK trade pact talks: Commerce Secretary

India and the UK are not working under any deadline for the conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement as both sides are discussing issues that are "slightly" complex in nature, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that the two countries are working to finalise the issues as early as possible. "We are not working (under) any deadlines...because there are issues which are of slightly complex in nature and which have economic significance for both the countries," he told reporters here. "So we are looking at those issues much more carefully...so there is no deadline as such, we are working under timelines," he added. Joint Secretary in the commerce ministry and India's chief negotiator for the pact, Nidhi Mani Tripathi, said that the two sides continue to discuss the "outstanding issues" which remained unresolved. "At all levels, there have been continuous exchanges to iron out differences and we intend to close as many as

Here's why India and UK are acting like cowards on the free trade agreement

Indian negotiators are pushing for strict "rules of origin" checks for tradable goods, to make sure that any FTA benefits apply only to goods made predominantly in Britain

India, UK share climate action goals, says British Indian minister

Britain's newest Indian-origin Cabinet minister, Claire Coutinho, has spoken of the shared energy and climate change goals between the two countries in her first major diaspora speech as UK Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero. The 38-year-old Goan-origin Conservative MP, promoted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a recent Cabinet reshuffle, joked about setting somewhat of a trend as the latest British Indian member in frontline British politics at a diaspora Diwali reception organised by India Global Forum (IGF) here on Thursday evening. As the second Cabinet minister of Goan heritage after Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Coutinho stressed the hugely important India-UK partnership and the potential for further collaboration in the climate action sphere. I am not the first British Indian Cabinet member. I'm not even the first Goan Cabinet member because we are starting quite a trend in this country, said Coutinho. The relationship, that living bridge that we have with India,

India-UK trade deal: Prospects & challenges

Could a successful negotiation herald a new era in their modest trade relationship?

The Diwali deadline

India-UK FTA needs to be expedited

UK officials pressured to drop IP law demands in India trade talks

Critics say the changes would damage India's position as a leading provider of generic drugs - essentially "copycat" versions of those which fall out of patent

India, UK see free-trade deal possibly in December after poll results

There isn't any firm deadline but an announcement could be made after the vote concludes and results are out December 3

India, UK trade ministers review progress of talks on proposed FTA

India and the UK on Saturday reviewed the progress of negotiations of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), talks for which have reached the final stage. The progress was reviewed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch in Osaka, Japan. Both ministers are in Japan for the Group of Seven (G7) trade ministers meeting in Osaka. Discussed the progress of India-UK free trade agreement negotiations with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch, Goyal said on social media platform X. Negotiations between senior officials of India and the UK are on to bridge differences on issues such as rules of origin and services sector, with an aim to conclude the talks for the proposed FTA at the earliest. India and Britain launched the talks for a trade agreement in January 2022, with an aim to conclude them by Diwali last year (October 24, 2022), but the deadline was missed due to political developments in th

UK-India free trade deal poses risk for British millers Tilda and Veetee

British rice millers such as Tilda Ltd. and Veetee Rice have thrived for decades by importing low-tariff unmilled brown rice from the likes of India and Pakistan and "polishing" the grains

British delegation to commence next round of India-UK FTA talks on Oct 9

A 30-member official delegation from the UK will start the next round of negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Indian team here from Monday to close remaining issues so that the two countries conclude the talks soon, an official has said. Both countries have recently concluded the 13th round of negotiations. A team led by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal was in London last week to give an impetus to the talks. The UK team dealing with investment-related matters is already here, and the talks for the proposed bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with finance ministry officials are progressing at a faster pace. "The 30-member team will be here tomorrow, and both sides are attempting to close the remaining issues, such as rules of origin. Everything is at the closure level," the official said. The 'rules of origin' provision prescribes that minimal processing should happen in the FTA country so that the final manufactured product may be referred to as goods originating in tha

India-UK FTA talks gain steam: Commerce secy, team in London to push deal

Thirteen rounds of negotiations have been completed so far

Delegation of UK universities in India to discuss transnational education

The largest ever delegation of UK universities and education leaders is in India on a five-day visit to meet key stakeholders with discussions on internationalisation of higher education institutions through partnership, dual degrees and furthering research collaborations on the agenda, according to top officials from the British government. The delegation, coordinated by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), includes representatives from 31 UK higher education institution and bodies who will meet with key officials from various Indian universities as well as state and central government bodies across Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Chennai. The members of the delegation, who arrived in the national capital on Sunday, will participate in the India-UK Higher Education Conference on September 18 and 19 in Delhi. The discussions will focus on Transnational Education (TNE) and facilitate the expansion of higher education partnerships between the institutions from the two countries.

Historic India Club to close doors in London after losing lengthy battle

Established in 1951 by India's first high commissioner to London, the club may be turned into a luxury hotel by Marston Properties