G20 meet: Sunak ‘committed to’ getting trade deal with India, but won’t rush it

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday said he would not “sacrifice quality for speed” when talking about trade deals with countries like India.

Sunak was speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on a day when he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting. Their discussions covered key areas of cooperation, such as trade, mobility, defence, and security.

It was the first meeting between the two leaders after Sunak took charge as the British Prime Minister a few weeks ago. After the meeting, Modi said India attaches great importance to robust India-UK ties.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi and Sunak expressed satisfaction with the state of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and progress on the Roadmap 2030. “The two leaders appreciated the importance of working together in bilateral and multilateral forums, including G20 and the Commonwealth,” it said.

Was great to meet PM @RishiSunak in Bali. India attaches great importance to robust 🇮🇳 🇬🇧 ties. We discussed ways to increase commercial linkages, raise the scope of security cooperation in context of India’s defence reforms and make people-to-people ties even stronger. pic.twitter.com/gcCt35m1uw

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 16, 2022

Approach different from Truss’s

Sunak has indicated that his approach to trade deals would be different from that of his predecessor Liz Truss. The deals Britain has struck since leaving the European Union have been met with widespread criticism.

Sunak said he would not rush talks with countries like India. “My approach will be one where we don’t sacrifice quality for speed,” Sunak said. Adding that he remained “committed to” getting a deal with India, he emphasized, “I want to take the time to get trade deals right.”

Also read: Bali G20 meet: Modi reviews India-US ties with Biden, shakes hands with Xi

Incidentally, talks with India did not yield a deal by the Diwali deadline set by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Modi tweeted after the meeting, “Was great to meet PM @RishiSunak in Bali. India attaches great importance to robust India-UK ties. We discussed ways to increase commercial linkages, raise the scope of security cooperation in context of India’s defence reforms and make people-to-people ties even stronger.”

Sunak optimistic on US ties

Sunak also expressed optimism that Britain and the United States could deepen their economic relationship, but said he had not spoken specifically about a trade deal with US President Joe Biden.

“I am filled with optimism about our ability to do more trade with the US, to deepen our economic relationship. That can happen in lots of different ways,” Sunak told a news conference, adding that energy could be a sector for economic cooperation.

Also read: 10 days of Sunak: Honeymoon over, UK PM must get down to brass tacks

London was eyeing a free trade deal with the US as one of the biggest perks of leaving the EU. But the Biden administration has put all free trade talks on ice. Hence, London and Washington have settled for a strategic dialogue to expand trade ties and have focused on signing memorandums of understanding with individual states.

(With agency inputs)