By IANS
New Delhi : The province of British Columbia in Canada is keen to expand business and trade with India, said its premier on a visit here.
“This visit is to develop trade and investment relationships and to discuss business opportunities, apart from sharing expertise in urban infrastructure projects,” said Gordon Campbell, premier of the province of British Columbia.
Campbell is leading a delegation of business and trade leaders and senior representatives from educational institutes and life science companies of British Columbia.
“There is a vast scope and enormous potential to increase the bilateral trade and investment relations between India and Canada, especially in the field of environment technology,” said Union Mminister of Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath when the delegation from British Columbia met him Monday evening.
British Columbia is a world leader in environmental technology with nearly 1,300 companies active across the province, generating yearly revenues of $1.9 billion.
The two countries are negotiating a comprehensive agreement on investment promotion and protection.
“A bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement is under negotiation between the two countries,” Kamal Nath said.
The bilateral trade in goods between India and Canada reached almost a record $2 billion during 2006-07.
India’s exports to Canada include textiles and clothing, jewellery, diamonds and chemicals as well as a variety of manufactured items.
Pulp and paper, newsprint, metals and agricultural products dominate Canada’s exports to India.