Britain’s efforts to strengthen its relationship with India and individual states as it seeks better non-European Union alliances gathered pace, when it announced plans for Foreign Office Minister Alok Sharma to visit New Delhi and Madhya Pradesh for the Global Investors Summit at the weekend, ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit next month
Mr. Sharma, who became Britain’s Minister for Asia and the Pacific, in the government reshuffle that followed July’s European referendum, is set to hold meetings with Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He will first lead a delegation of 26 businesses to the Global Investors Summit being held in Madhya Pradesh at the weekend, and hold discussions with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Mr. Chouhan visited Britain at the end of September in an effort to woo investors to the State.
The who’s who to come
The delegation is set to combine established U.K names such as Vodafone and Cambridge University Press, and Reckitt Benckiser as well as smaller businesses such as Cambridge-based software firm Cyan Connode.
Mr. Sharma, who like Ms. May was a campaigner for the “remain” camp during the referendum, has become one of the key players in Britain’s evolving relationship with India. In fact he visited India on his first official foreign trip after taking up his new ministerial role in July.
Mr. Sharma’s visit to New Delhi will help set the framework for Ms. May’s visit in November. That visit, during the UK-India TECH summit, will be one of the biggest tests of Britain’s hopes of forging non-EU alliances though issues such as proposals to toughen Britain’s visa regime and its stance on Kashmir may cast something of a shadow.
Strengthening business
The visit to Madhya Pradesh should also be seen in the context of British efforts to move its relationship with countries such as India away from development aid. “The U.K. has been a long-term supporter of the state, through aid and other partnerships, and it now has a vibrant economy,” said Sharma in a press statement on Thursday. “The Global Investors Summit will allow us to build and strengthen business links in thriving areas like tourism, rural development and a dynamic manufacturing and industrial sector.”
