Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said his meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer here further deepened trade and economic partnership for mutual prosperity between the two nations.

Starmer arrived in India for a two-day visit on Wednesday, accompanied by the biggest-ever trade delegation from the country to India.

“Delighted to call on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Discussed avenues to further deepen India-UK trade and economic partnership for mutual prosperity,” Goyal posted on X social media platform.

Goyal earlier met Peter Kyle, UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with a view to move forward with the operationalisation of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and double the bilateral trade by 2030.

“The meeting marked a significant step towards operationalising the India-UK CETA, with both Ministers agreeing to reposition the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to oversee its implementation and delivery,” according to the Commerce Ministry statement.

Both sides underlined their commitment to ensuring swift, coordinated, and results-oriented implementation of the Agreement, aimed at realising its full potential for businesses and consumers in both countries.

The ministers reaffirmed their shared ambition to double bilateral trade by 2030, leveraging the complementarities between the two economies in areas such as advanced manufacturing, digital trade, clean energy, and services.

Emphasising the transformative scope of CETA, they discussed ways to maximise its benefits through regulatory cooperation, addressing non-tariff barriers, and promoting supply chain integration.

The highly productive Commerce Secretary and Director General-level meeting set the tone for the Ministerial meeting, which laid a strong foundation for a full day of engaging and forward-looking discussions.

Ahead of the bilateral meeting, a series of sectoral roundtables were held across priority sectors including including Advanced Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Food and Drink, Science, Technology and Innovation, Construction, Infrastructure and Clean Energy, and Financial, Professional & Business Services (including IT/ITeS, education, and engineering). These dialogues brought together leading voices from Indian and UK industry and provided valuable insights to guide implementation.

The India–UK CEO Forum was also held bringing together business leaders from both countries to discuss new opportunities for trade, investment, and innovation.

Co-chaired by prominent industry representatives from India and the United Kingdom, the Forum served as a key platform to deepen bilateral economic cooperation and strengthen partnerships across sectors. The discussions reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and the UK to advancing a modern, mutually beneficial, and sustainable economic partnership, strengthened by the India-UK CETA.

On Thursday, Starmer and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were set to review progress under the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through the ‘Vision 2035’ roadmap, a 10-year plan covering trade and investment, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and energy, health, education, and people-to-people ties.

–IANS

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