• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will begin his two-day visit to India from Ahmedabad on April 21.
• Investment announcements in key industries in both the UK and India will take place during his visit.
• Johnson will then proceed to New Delhi to meet Modi on April 22, where the focus will be on India-UK strategic defence, diplomatic and economic partnership.
• Last year, the two Prime Ministers had agreed on UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, announcing more than £530 million ($692 million) in investment into the UK and committing to a deeper bilateral relationship across trade, health, climate, defence and security, and connecting people.
• India was identified as a priority relationship for the UK in the 2021 Integrated Review and was invited by the UK as a guest to last year’s G7 summit in Cornwall.
• The UK is leveraging post-Brexit trade opportunities with India’s growing economy to drive down prices in key commodities for consumers, open opportunities for UK businesses in areas like green tech and services, and create high-wage, high-skill jobs.
• According to official estimates in the UK, investment from Indian companies already supports 95,000 jobs across the UK, which is expected to be boosted by upcoming announcements and a future free trade deal.
• Johnson will also use his India visit to drive progress in the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations launched earlier this year.
• While in Ahmedabad, Johnson is scheduled to meet with leading businesses and discuss the UK and India’s thriving commercial, trade and people links.
• The choice of Gujarat was linked with it being the ancestral home of around half of the British-Indian diaspora population in the UK.
• In Gujarat, Johnson is expected to announce major investment in key industries in both the UK and India, boosting jobs and growth at home, as well as new collaboration on cutting-edge science, health and technology.
• Johnson will then travel to New Delhi to meet PM Modi. The leaders will hold in-depth talks on the UK and India’s strategic defence, diplomatic and economic partnership, aimed at bolstering our close partnership and stepping up security co-operation in the Indo-Pacific.
• The FTA talks, which will move into their third round later this month, are expected to result in a deal predicted to boost the UK’s total trade by up to £28 billion ($36 billion) annually by 2035 and increase incomes across the UK by up to £3 billion ($3.9 billion).
• At the end of the first two rounds, four out of 26 chapters have been agreed and there has been significant progress in the remaining 22 chapters of the FTA.
• The two leaders are expected to mandate a timeline for the possible completion of the process, initially set for the end of this year.
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