A new campaign with the motto ‘Alive with Opportunity’ has been launched by Kemi Badenoch, Business and Trade Secretary, United Kingdom, with the aim of doubling trade with India by 2030. The campaign plan includes a series of targeted trade missions for UK firms in high growth sectors.
The UK Cabinet minister, who is on a three-day visit in India to attend the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Jaipur and to hold bilateral talks with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, said that she hoped to take forward the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.
Additionally, the new GBP1.5-million “GREAT” marketing blitz is aimed at going beyond the strong bilateral business and trade links to highlight shared cultural interests — from football and cricket to food and film.
“I’m delighted to be returning to India to support their G20 Presidency, further our trade talks and meet key business leaders,” Badenoch said on the eve of her visit to India.
“The UK and India have a thriving relationship and we both share an ambition to deepen our cultural and trading ties. India is the UK’s second biggest source of investment projects and I’m confident this new campaign will help boost interest in and demand for UK goods and services even further,” she said.
The UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said that the minister, while in India, would pitch for greater deployment of digital trade, which would cut red tape and make it easier for UK businesses of all sizes to buy and sell internationally.
Badenoch’s visit coincides with Round 12 of the FTA talks being hosted by New Delhi and her meeting with Goyal will “take stock” of these negotiations and see how to progress with a deal, which is expected to boost bilateral trade already worth GBP36 billion in 2022.
The ‘Alive with Opportunity’ programme is designed to build on the UK and India’s strong and enduring relationship. The DBT said that the campaign would celebrate business, trade, cultural and sporting links, taking advantage of major moments such as India’s hosting of the Cricket World Cup from October and the England-India test series starting in January next year.
Adverts promoting the UK will feature across billboards, in airports and across social media channels in India, backed by a series of targeted trade missions, promotional events, and marketing activations in both countries.
Latest DBT data show that India is the UK’s second largest source of investment projects, with 118 new projects in the last financial year creating 8,384 new jobs.