(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Goyal, Sidhu Discuss CEPA, Plan Delegation

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal held a discussion with Canada's Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu to advance bilateral trade and commercial engagement between the two countries and announced plans to lead a high-level trade and investment delegation to Canada in the new year. In a social media post, Goyal said he held a productive discussion with Minister Sidhu to advance the trade and commercial engagement with Canada. He stated, "We undertook initial scoping and broad discussions on the overall approach, contours, macro objectives and modalities as part of preparations for the launch of CEPA negotiations. Also agreed to lead a high-level trade and investment delegation to Canada in the new year".

Bilateral Trade Gains Momentum

The meeting comes as bilateral trade between India and Canada continues to gain momentum. As per the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the bilateral trade in goods and services reached USD 23.66 billion in 2024, with merchandise trade valued at nearly USD 8.98 billion, marking a substantial 10 per cent increase over the previous year.

Future Collaboration Opportunities Highlighted

Earlier, on November 24, while addressing the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber in New Delhi, Goyal said that India sees considerable scope for collaboration with Canada in critical minerals, mineral processing technologies, clean energy, nuclear energy and supply-chain diversification. He highlighted that India offers strong advantages in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, machine learning and next-generation data centres, supported by the world's largest annual pool of STEM graduates. He added that Canada and India are natural allies whose complementary strengths create significant opportunities for businesses and investors in both countries.

Recent Ministerial Engagements

Before this engagement, Canada's Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, Maninder Sidhu, undertook an official visit to India from 11 to 14 November 2025. The visit followed the direction provided by the Prime Ministers of the two countries during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Canada, and the Foreign Ministers Joint Statement "Renewing momentum towards a stronger partnership" of October 13, which identified trade as the cornerstone of bilateral economic growth and resilience.

During the visit, the two trade ministers held the 7th edition of the Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI). The Canadian ministers reaffirmed the strength and continuity of the India-Canada economic partnership and reiterated their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation through sustained dialogue, mutual respect and forward-looking initiatives. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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