India and Canada Focus on Non-Sensitive Areas in Trade Talks

India and Canada are prioritizing non-sensitive sectors in their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations. Both countries aim to avoid contentious areas and aim for areas of mutual benefit, with a goal to finalize talks by year-end and increase bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030.

India and Canada have decided to prioritize areas of common interest while avoiding contentious issues in their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) discussions. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized the strategy of focusing on achievable goals over contentious topics during his recent visit to Canada.

The two countries are currently conducting the third round of negotiations in Ottawa, aiming to finalize the agreement by the end of the year. The goal is to elevate bilateral trade from USD 17 billion to USD 50 billion by 2030. During his visit, Goyal met with Canadian government representatives and industry leaders to discuss investment opportunities, highlighting India's strong intellectual property protections and startup ecosystem.

With significant potential for cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, cleantech, and agritech, both sides are preparing to reduce import duties and ease trade in services and investments.

Discussions with leaders from Canadian pension funds also explored investment opportunities in Indian infrastructure, renewables, and technology.