Tamil Nadu CM Vijay to visit UK on Sept 10 to pitch for investments

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will embark on a visit to the United Kingdom on September 10 to pitch for industrial investments, marking his maiden foreign official tour since taking charge as Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister will stay in the UK until September 16, engaging in a series of high-level investor meets. The diplomatic push arrives as Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh vie closely to draw large-scale manufacturing and capital investments to Southern India.

Alongside the Chief Minister's European outreach, the state administration is simultaneously targeting major Asian technology hubs. A delegation led by State Minister Keerthana will fly to Taiwan on September 4 to take part in the Semicon conference, according to government officials.

The Chief Minister's UK mission comes shortly after the landmark UK-India Free Trade Agreement, officially designated as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), took effect on July 15, 2026.

Two-way trade between the UK and India stood at GBP 48 billion in 2025. Following the implementation of the new trade architecture, bilateral commercial flows are expected to expand rapidly, offering consumers in both countries cheaper, faster and simpler access to goods and services.

Under CETA's provisions, 99 per cent of Indian exports entering the British market and 90 per cent of UK exports bound for India will benefit from zero-duty entry or substantial tariff cuts.

These widespread tariff reductions are slated to bolster key sectors in both economies, including automotive, advanced manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, creative industries and medical technology.

Long-term projections indicate that the trade pact will boost annual bilateral commerce by GBP 25.5 billion, while adding GBP 5.1 billion to India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GBP 4.8 billion to the UK's GDP every year.

ANI