Canada, India Push to Conclude CEPA by Year-End After Fifth Round in Ottawa
Negotiations between Canada and India on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are gathering pace. Chief negotiators held a fifth round of talks in Ottawa from October 5 to 9, following a fourth round that concluded in New Delhi on September 18. The two countries formally relaunched the CEPA process during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to India in March, committing to complete the negotiations by the end of 2026.
On October 13, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Canada's International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu to discuss advancing the talks. In a social media post, Goyal said the two sides focused on a balanced, mutually beneficial agreement that enhances market access and unlocks new trade and investment opportunities. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is also visiting India and the United Arab Emirates from October 13 to 16 to advance shared priorities including trade, energy, security and defence.
In parallel, Sidhu is leading a trade mission of nearly 300 business delegates to India, Canada's largest such delegation to the country in more than three decades, spanning aerospace, clean energy, technology, life sciences, agri-food and forestry. The two countries aim to expand two-way trade to C$70 billion by 2030. Goods and services trade totalled about US$30.4 billion in 2025, with Canadian merchandise exports to India of US$3.9 billion and imports of US$9.7 billion. Energy and critical minerals are priority areas of cooperation, while stable market access for farm products, particularly pulses, has been reported as one of the difficult issues in the talks.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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