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Canadian trade minister arrives on a 3-day visit, bilateral ties in focus
Canada's trade minister Maninder Sidhu visits India to strengthen economic ties, focusing on sectors like AI and clean tech, following recent diplomatic improvements.
New Delhi/Niagara-on-the-Lake: Canada’s international trade minister Maninder Sidhu arrived in India on a three-dayvisit on Wednesday to hold talks to advance trade and investment linkages between the two sides, which are speedily rebuilding their relations following a diplomatic row two years ago.
Sidhu will promote Ottawa’s commitment to support and grow commercial ties between Canada and India, including in artificial intelligence, clean technology and digital industries, and explore new opportunities for partnerships that benefit workers and businesses in both countries, the Canadian high commission said on Wednesday.
He will also travel to Visakhapatnam to attend the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Partnership Summit, which will be hosted by Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal, on November 14.
“This visit to India will reinforce Canada’s commitment to diversifying our trade relationships and attracting new investment. As one of the fastest-growing major economies, India offers significant opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers,” Sidhu said in a statement released by Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry.
Two-way trade was worth $30.9 billion in 2024 and Sidhu said there is greater potential ahead. “By deepening cooperation in areas such as energy, clean technology, artificial intelligence, and agriculture, we can unlock new commercial opportunities, drive innovation, and build more resilient and secure supply chains that deliver shared prosperity for both our countries,” he added.
Canada perceives India as a key partner as it strengthens economic links in the Indo-Pacific under a comprehensive strategy for the region, the high commission said.
In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh largest goods and services trading partner.
Canada’s commercial priorities in India are targeted at sectors such as agriculture, clean technology, digital industries and infrastructure.
Sidhu’s visit comes close on the heels of external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s trip to Canada to attend an outreach session of the G7 foreign ministers meeting. Jaishankar also held a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand.
“Appreciated the progress in implementation of the New Roadmap 2025. Look forward to the further rebuilding of our bilateral partnership,” Jaishankar said on social media after his talks with Anand.
The two sides have taken a number of steps in recent months, including the posting of high commissioners in each other’s capitals and the unveiling of a roadmap to reset ties, to normalise relations that were taken to an all-time low following former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s accusation in September 2023 that Indian government agents were tied to the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India had dismissed the allegation as “absurd” and maintained that Canada had offered no evidence to back up its claim.
