India, Canada begin sixth round of trade talks

New Delhi: India and Canada began the sixth round of negotiations for their proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) here on Wednesday, as the two sides seek to conclude a mutually beneficial pact to expand bilateral trade and investment at the earliest.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal met Canada's international trade minister Maninder Sidhu, who is leading a delegation to India, ahead of the negotiations. "Reaffirmed our shared commitment to taking the India-Canada economic partnership to new heights, with CEPA serving as a catalyst for deeper commercial engagement and shared prosperity," Goyal said in a social media post after the meeting.

The two ministers also exchanged views on the importance of a balanced agreement that delivers meaningful market access, leverages the complementarities of the two economies and creates new opportunities for trade and investment. The commerce department in a social media post said the meeting "underscores the shared commitment of both nations to fast-track the discussions and work towards concluding a mutually beneficial India-Canada CEPA and unlock new opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investments."