Boris Johnson in India: Billion Pound deals, trade talks, partnerships and more
By Vipin Vijayan | First Published Apr 21, 2022, 10:39 AM ISTBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a number of commercial agreements and hail a new era in the UK and India's trade, investment and technology partnership during his two-day visit to India
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a number of commercial agreements and hail a new era in the UK and India's trade, investment and technology partnership during his two-day visit to India. Johnson landed in Gujarat on Thursday morning.
Seeking to enhance collaboration with one of the world's fastest-growing economies, Prime Minister Johnson would be utilising his visit to reduce trade barriers for UK businesses and drive jobs and growth at home.
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In a pre-arrival statement, the British Prime Minister said, "I see vast possibilities for what our two great nations can achieve together. The UK and India are leading the world when it comes to next-generation 5G telecoms or AI. Our powerhouse partnership is delivering jobs, growth and opportunities for our people, and it will only go from strength to strength in the coming years."
UK and Indian businesses will finalise over £1 billion (Rs 9,950 crore) in new investments and export deals today in areas ranging from software engineering to health, creating almost 11,000 jobs across the UK. These include:
* A new Switch Mobility electric bus R&D centre in the UK and the opening of their Asia Pacific Headquarters in Chennai, generating over 1000 jobs in the UK.
* Electric truck-maker Tevva Motors and leading Indian manufacturer Bharat Forge to expand to the south-east UK and create 500 new job opportunities.
* Indian software company Mastek investing 79 million Pounds to create 1600 jobs over the next three years all over the UK.
* Business consultancy FirstSource to open new offices in cities in the North-East and North-West of the UK and in South Wales and the Midlands.
* Northamptonshire business Scott Bader to open a new resins factory to supply top renewable energy companies in south-east Asia.
* Hertfordshire-based firm Smith & Nephew to seal a major export deal to sell robotic surgical systems in India.
During the British Prime Minister's visit, the two countries will confirm major new science and technology collaboration.
The collaborations include a joint investment fund for Indian deep-tech and AI start-ups and a digital health partnership and a new artificial intelligence scholarship for Indian students funded by India's Adani Group and the UK Government's Chevening programme.
Hoping to double bilateral trade and investment by 2030, both countries will hold negotiations on the UK-India free trade agreement. Besides, the two governments will announce new measures to simplify the process to export UK-made medical devices to India.
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