India And UK Likely To Sign A Trade Agreement During PM Boris Johnson’s New Delhi Visit On 26 April

India and the United Kingdom (UK) are likely to launch a new bilateral trade agreement when Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson visits India on 26 April, for what would mark his first major international visit after the UK's exit from the European Union (EU), reports Hindustan Times.

This comes as the UK is keen to deepen economic ties with India which is also the second-largest investor in the former's economy. It should be noted that it has been trying to persuade New Delhi for a two-step free-trade deal.

Even though PM Johnson's itinerary for the India visit is still to be finalised, the UK has indicated that PM Johnson would like to travel to Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai after wrapping up the formal engagements in New Delhi, as he looks to give a big fillip to the bilateral ties.

During the visit, PM Johnson is likely to underscore the importance of the Indo-Pacific region which the UK says, is “critical to our economy and security”.

The India visit for PM Johnson comes at a time when the UK has recalibrated its foreign and defence policy to tilt toward the Indo-Pacific region, wherein UK's relationships with India, and other Asian nations like South Korea and Japan have been seen as an imperative.