Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague and Chancellor George Osborne are on a two-day trip to India starting July 7.
The UK Foreign Secretary will hold delegation level talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on July 8 where they will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will hold Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) with Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.
Both the British ministers will make a joint call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These visits are a prelude to the proposed India tour of British Prime Minister David Cameron slated for September.
The two ministers are accompanied by an official delegation which include three other UK Ministers – Gregory Barker MP, Minister for Business Engagement with India and Minister of State for Climate Change and Energy; Oliver Letwin MP, Minister for Government Policy in the Cabinet Office and Joseph Edmund Johnson MP, Cabinet Office Minister.
Hague is likely to take up the discussion paper circulated by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion on allowing up to 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence production. Osborne’s visit to New Delhi will continue the annual India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue established in 2005 which aims to strengthen the financial and economic relationship between the two countries. The Rs 13,200-crore Vodafone tax dispute will also be on the discussion table.