The United Kingdom Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Alok Sharma says Britain is committed to strengthening its bilateral relationship with India.
The comment came during the first public address by a government figure on the topic since Prime Minister Theresa May visited India last month.
Mr. Sharma said in a meeting of the UK-India Business Council, that, “We think that the relationship is more important than ever. Our bilateral trade is at £16 billion and there is huge potential to do even more.”
“We want Indian companies and public sector entities to see the City of London as their natural home for raising offshore finance,” he said.
“As India continues to develop ambitious infrastructure plans, we want to be the destination of choice for raising international funds.”
He also defended Britain’s visa regime and said that, “There is no cap on the number of international students in recognized institutions in the U.K. We continue to welcome students from India. We approved 89 per cent of Indian student visas and the Home Secretary will be consulting widely on the student visa regime to ensure it is as mutually beneficial as possible.”
“We naturally want our visa regime to be as simple and efficient as possible, but we must also ensure that people return to their country of origin once their visa has expired,” he added.
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Nandini
