India to Achieve $750 billion of Exports in 2022-23: Piyush Goyal

Important to build resilience in economies, enforce sustainability while focusing on inclusivity: Piyush Goyal at CII Partnership Summit

“Sustainability has been at the core of G20 agenda for several years now, the core of all multilateral and bilateral engagements over the last few years, but for India, sustainability is a way of life,” said Mr Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Government of India while inaugurating the CII Partnership Summit 2023, organised by CII, in partnership with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Mr Goyal is also the Chairman of the CII Partnership Summit 2023. Mr Goyal said that sustainability in India may go back thousands of years and Indians hold every element of nature in high reverence.

The Minister said that it is important that we build resilience in our economies and enforce sustainability while focusing on inclusivity. He said that partnerships between citizens, communities and countries, when working together in the spirit of cooperation, collaboration and sometimes competition, collectively can contribute to a more stable and prosperous future.

H.E. Lyonpo Loknath Sharma, Minister of Energy & Natural Resources, Industry, Commerce and Employment, Royal Government of Bhutan said that the health and growth of the financial sector are important to support trade and investment, and to enable our transition to a low-carbon future. Financial capabilities need to be backed with active response capabilities, he added.

Hon’ble Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Canada stated that it is clear that partnerships between governments and industry will continue to drive national economic prosperity and in turn global economic prosperity. She added that the seamless exchange of goods, services, and investment between trading partners helps to create prosperity for both countries and their people.

H.E Mr Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, Minister, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Republic of Cuba noted that there is a major need to strengthen the political will of nations to go forward in the path of economic integration, so nations can achieve their developmental interests and reduce asymmetries, with partnerships focussing on the fair integration of economies into the international trade.

H.E. Dr (H.C.) Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Trade, Republic of Indonesia stressed that Indonesia looks up to India in terms of information technology, as well as health and pharmaceutical and is ready to explore further cooperation in these areas.

H. E. Mr Dukgeun Ahn, Minister for Trade, Republic of Korea said that India is playing a prominent role in the IT sector, including Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, as the world’s largest source of human talent and outstanding engineers. The Minister observed that India has been successful in creating favourable conditions for businesses with its ‘Make in India’ and ‘Self-Reliant India’ policies, playing a pivotal role in establishing a stable global supply chain.

H.E. Mr Soodesh Satkam Callichurn, Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection, Mauritius said that developing skills and economic structures that make us resilient in the face of unexpected economic and social crisis cannot be relegated to future generations.

Businesses must accelerate to become responsible, innovative, sustainable and equitable, but must also identify partnerships to achieve these goals, said H.E. Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade & Industry, Republic of Singapore. He said that beyond the extensive and friendly relations between the governments of India and Singapored, they also share deep and enduring friendships, kinships, and shared histories and cultures.

H.E. Mr Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, United Arab Emirates said that global issues require global solutions and cannot be resolved by a single nation or a small group of nations, and require significant concrete actions. UAE is dedicated in collaborating with international partners bilaterally and multilaterally in order to tackle the world problems and build a more sustainable and prosperous future for all, he added.

H.E. Mr Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DP World, United Arab Emirates said that more needs to be done across the world to unlock potential emerging market opportunities and to ensure equitable economic opportunities. He said meeting physical and digital infrastructure needs can reduce transport costs and build efficient and sustainable transport networks.

Mr Sanjiv Bajaj, President, CII and CMD, Bajaj Finserv Limited said that the development journeys of many countries depend on stable and peaceful global political environment, free and open trade, conducive business ecosystems, and policies that will foster global inclusion. In this context, India has much to offer the world, as a large, resilient, and rapidly growing and developing economy, he added.

Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII moderated the Inaugural Session.

Over 145 speakers, including 65 international speakers from 24 countries, will share expert thoughts during the Summit, which is being attended by more than 400 delegates from 67 countries.

13 March 2023

New Delhi