Harper arrives in India for trade talks
Last Updated: Sunday, November 15, 2009 | 10:19 PM ET
CBC News
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen wave as they arrive in Mumbai on Sunday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in India on Sunday for a three-day visit and talks with leaders overseeing one of the world's fast-growing economies.
His visit follows a weekend trip to Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit, where he said Canada wants to boost investment opportunities in Asia.
"While Canada's economy was built through transatlantic trade, our future prosperity will increasingly depend on our ties to the Pacific. The region is home to some of the world's most dynamic and fastest growing economies," Harper said in a statement released Sunday.
During meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other officials, Harper's team hopes to promote trade as well as nuclear co-operation.
The two sides are expected to discuss a proposed civil nuclear agreement, which would pave the way for Canada to sell nuclear technology to India.
Nuclear trade between the two countries has been stalled since 1974, when India tested its first nuclear weapon with the unauthorized help of Canadian nuclear technology.
On Monday, Harper will hold round-table discussions in Mumbai with Indian investors doing business in Canada.
A number of trade agreements are expected to be signed in a bid to expand bilateral trade. The two countries currently do less than $5 billion in trade annually.
Harper will also tour the city's Chabad House, the Jewish outreach centre where gunmen, later linked to a terror group that hit a number of targets in Mumbai, killed six hostages a year ago.
Later in the day, the prime minister will deliver a speech on Canada-Indian relations and meet Bollywood star Akshay Kumar.
On Tuesday, he flies to New Delhi. The following day, he'll be in Amritsar, where he will visit the Golden Temple.
After returning home, Harper plans to visit China from Dec. 2 to 6.
