UK investment minister Dominic Johnson begins India visit with focus on tech ties

Repeats after correcting name of the UK minister)
London, Apr 26 (PTI) UK’s Minister for Investment Lord Dominic Johnson on Wednesday embarked on a visit to India to strengthen the bilateral investment partnership across technology and life sciences sectors and build momentum behind ongoing trade talks.

https://www.upsc.gov.in/FR-CSM-22-engl-230523.pdf

After Bengaluru, Johnson is set to visit Pune to meet investors and leading Indian businesses, including Infosys and Zensar, to drum up investor interest in the UK, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said.

https://www.upsc.gov.in/FR-CSM-22-engl-230523.pdf

The visit coincides with Round 9 of negotiations this week between officials working on the UK-India free trade agreement (FTA).

“It is fantastic to be in India again visiting the vibrant cities of Pune and Bengaluru to find out how our strong cultural and economic ties mean investors and business leaders continue to choose the UK,” said Johnson, who visited Mumbai and New Delhi in October last year when he met with investors and businesses including Apollo Hospitals, Prodapt and Wockhardt.

https://www.upsc.gov.in/FR-CSM-22-engl-230523.pdf

“From life sciences to AI [artificial intelligence], now is the time to invest in the UK as we are determined to be the undisputed number one investment destination in Europe,” he said.

On the eve of the ministerial visit, the DBT described India as a “priority market” for the UK with Johnson’s visit seen as helping to build momentum behind the ongoing FTA negotiations between the two countries.

https://www.upsc.gov.in/FR-CSM-22-engl-230523.pdf

Johnson, a House of Lords peer, will also use his visit to promote the Global Investment Summit 2023, which will bring together over 200 CEOs of multinational companies and investment corporations in the UK later this year.

https://www.upsc.gov.in/FR-CSM-22-engl-230523.pdf

According to the British government, the inaugural Summit in 2021 secured nearly 10 billion pounds of new foreign investment on the day, with this year’s event set to showcase emerging UK success stories in life sciences, deep tech, nuclear fusion and small modular reactors (SMRs), and manufacturing.