On Nov. 6, British prime minister Theresa May arrived in India for a three-day official visit. She met the next day with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in New Dehli for talks to foster stronger economic relations. It’s a poignant topic as Great Britain prepares to leave the European Union.
The two leader met for three hours and had lunch. She stressed the opportunities for trade deals, investment, and travel visas.
“The UK will make India the first visa country to have access to our registered traveler scheme, offering many Indians smoother and swifter clearance at the border,” May said. One of the primary issues surrounding the referendum to leave the EU, known as Brexit, was that of unchecked migration from the continent.
It is May’s first trade visit and her first trip to India. The south Asian country has over 1.25 billion people and a burgeoning rate of economic growth. For the UK, which by leaving the EU is forgoing many of the economic perks that came with that relationship, the Indian market seems promising.
“On this visit alone, more than one billion pounds [about $1.24 billion] will be signed,” May said.
While May spoke optimistically about cooperation in fields such as infrastructure and defense industries, Modi took her to task on the issue of Indian students in the UK. Theresa May is an advocate of immigration control. She served for five years as interior minister, during which the number of Indian students dropped from nearly 70,000 to 10,000 by mid-2015.
Modi called for “greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities.”
(NTD)
Featured image: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, shakes hand with his British counterpart Theresa May before a meeting in New Delhi, India, Nov. 7, 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Manish Swarup