Britain seeks to be India's partner of choice:
Cameron
Monday February 18, 2013 10:56:57 PM,
IANS
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Mumbai: Prime
Minister David Cameron, who arrived in India's commercial capital
Monday at the head of a 100-member delegation, said Britain is
looking to be "India's partner of choice" and he is impressed to
see India's rise.
"India's rise is going to be one of the great phenomena of this
century and it is incredibly impressive to see - the vibrancy of
your democracy, the great strength of the diversity of your
country and the enormous power of your economy, that is going to
be one of the top three economies by 2030," he said while
addressing officials and executives of Hindustan Unilever here.
"Britain wants to be your partner of choice. We've only just
started on the sort of partnership that we could build," he said
adding: "As far as I'm concerned, the sky is the limit."
Starting his visit with an agenda to forge greater trade ties with
India, he said: "UK can forge one of the great partnerships of the
21st century with India."
Cameron said that it is fantastic to be back in Mumbai. "I am very
proud of the fact that I have been the prime minister for
two-and-a-half-years and this is my second visit to India, because
I want Britain and India to have a very special relationship," he
said.
Stating that he has brought to India the biggest delegation out of
Britain, Cameron said Britain wants to tie up with India in many
different ways.
He also said that both India and Britain have been facing the
problem of terrorism alike and said that both countries should
come together to fight the menace.
Cameron laid a wreath at the memorial as a gesture of solidarity
with family members of those killed during the 26/11 terrorist
attack in the city.
In a measure to attract more Indian businessmen and students,
Cameron announced a same-day visa service for investors and no
limit on the number of students from the country.
Regarding Indian students in Britain, he said there would be "no
limit" on the number of Indian students who can come and study in
universities there, no cap on the length of time they will be
allowed to live and work in graduate-level jobs after they
complete their qualifications.
Offering immense investment opportunities for Indian companies in
Britain, Cameron said: "When I see Indian investments into
Britain, I only see hope. Investment like Jaguar and Land Rover,
which is a massive international success story. We welcome that
sort of investments."
He said Britain is also exploring to reduce the trade barriers
with India and expected India to reciprocate.
In a blogpost, Cameron posted: "As India grows, it needs a partner
that can support its ambition. India plans to spend $1 trillion on
infrastructure over five years. It wants to quadruple its
electricity capacity and to invest $143 billion to meet its
growing demands for healthcare.
"It wants its business to have unrivalled access to European and
global markets and its students to get the best education in the
world. Britain can do all of these things and more. The companies
and organisations in this delegation are uniquely placed to meet
India's demands. We want to attract India's brightest and best
students. And I intend to say so at every opportunity.
"But I know that my role as Prime Minister is also about more than
helping promote your businesses. It's also about making sure we
get the business environment right. On this trip we are pushing to
do just that - including through laying the foundations for a free
trade agreement that could deliver new deals, jobs and growth for
generations to come. You can help us get closer to the finishing
line by galvanising Indian private sector partners to help the
Government of India understand that it's a win-win.
"This week's visit is vital, but our commitment is about more than
one week. It is a week-in, week-out determination to help you
secure more trade, more investment and more jobs - and with it, to
make Britain and India one of the defining relationships of this
century."
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