Canada rebuilds trade ties with India after years of tensions Business & Economy News

Canada’s trade minister, who is visiting India, said Ottawa wants to attract more investment from New Delhi.

Canada hopes to rebuild ties with major trading partner India, its trade minister said, as the two countries look to turn a new page. Political row over the years Related to the murder of a Canadian Sikh activist.

Canada’s International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told Reuters on Thursday that he had a productive meeting with India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi.

“The meeting went really well. We focused on areas of opportunity – aerospace, AI, critical minerals, energy, agriculture – and what we can do together,” Sidhu, who is on a three-day visit to India, said after the discussion.

The ministerial visit is one of the highest-level trade engagements between Canada and India since negotiations on a bilateral agreement were halted in 2023. Canadian Sikh separatist leader.

At that time, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and Hardeep Singh Nijjar had a “trustworthy relationship” during the June 2023 murder in British Columbia province.

New Delhi Strongly denied The allegations, which prompted both governments to expel each other’s diplomats. India has also suspended visa services in Canada.

Despite the allegations, Trudeau’s successor, Prime Minister Mark Carney, has sought to re-establish ties with India since his government took office earlier this year.

Carney met Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in the Canadian province of Alberta in June.

The two leaders “affirmed the importance of Canada-India relations based on mutual respect, the rule of law and commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity”, according to a readout of the talks released by Carney’s office.

“Leaders agreed to appoint a new High Commissioner to help citizens and businesses of both countries return to regular service.”

Thursday’s talks in New Delhi come as both India and Canada face economic uncertainty raised by the United States president. Donald Trump’s tough charges.

Sidhu, Canada’s trade minister, told Reuters the Carney government was keen to expand cooperation with India to attract investment in the energy and critical minerals sectors.

“Canada has all the ingredients needed to make electric batteries,” Sidhu said, adding that Ottawa welcomed New Delhi’s investment in mining critical minerals and infrastructure projects.