The Australian minister said the two sides were working towards an agreement that aligns with their principles and encourages expanded trade and investment flows to the benefit of the economies and peoples of both countries.
Photo: Twitter (@DanTehanWannon)
Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan will visit India next week to further advance the progress between the two countries on a free trade agreement.
The Australian High Commission today released the text of a speech given by the Australian minister at the National Press Club in Canberra in which he spoke at length about his upcoming visit to India.
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“While in India, I will seek to further advance our recent progress towards a free trade agreement, or what is called the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, CECA,” he said.
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Tehan said both India and Australia were committed to achieving an early harvest announcement on an interim agreement to liberalise and deepen bilateral trade in goods and services and pave the way for an early conclusion of a full CECA.
He said he and his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal were seeking to make progress towards an interim deadline. “It’s an ambitious approach, and this meeting will be crucial, but it’s one that can be achieved if both sides are seeking a truly complementary agreement.”
The Australian minister said the two sides were working towards an agreement that aligns with their principles and encourages expanded trade and investment flows to the benefit of the economies and peoples of both countries.
Tehan observed that Prime Minister Modi’s government has begun promoting a free trade narrative and is seeking closer economic ties with like-minded nations, including Australia. “For Australia, there are significant growth opportunities in critical minerals, infrastructure, energy, technology, agriculture, education and space – and it is these sectors we will place particular emphasis on in the Government’s soon-to-be-released update to Peter Varghese’s India Economic Strategy,” he added.
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