Union Minister Piyush Goyal Urges Deeper Collaboration with French and Asia-Pacific Partners

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal yesterday called upon French and Asia-Pacific partners to deepen collaboration for enhancing trade relations through bilateral agreements and multilateral platforms. He also called for strengthening technological cooperation to address global challenges like climate change and promoting cultural and educational exchanges. 

Speaking at the Annual Conference of French Foreign Trade Commissioners of the Asia Pacific region in New Delhi, the Minister said that the bilateral trades between India and France in the financial year 2024 reached 15 billion dollars.

Mr. Goyal underscored that initiatives like Make



in India, Digital India, and Startup India continue to attract foreign investments and catalyze economic growth. He asserted that for the next three decades, the Indian aviation market will be the world’s largest demand aggregator for aeroplanes. The Commerce Minister expressed a wish to co-manufacture fighter jets and foster startups in cyber-security, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and quantum technologies.

During the event, the Minister also read out a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which Mr. Modi emphasized that ties of commerce, investments, and technology constitute the key pillar of the India-France relationship.