New Delhi [India], September 1 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will travel to the United Kingdom on September 10 to attract industrial investments to the state, marking his first foreign trip after assuming office as Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister will remain on a tour of the United Kingdom until September 16 to conduct a series of investor meetings. The high-level outreach comes amid intense competition between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to secure major industrial and capital investments in the southern region.

According to government sources, the state is also actively engaging other global manufacturing hubs during the same period. A state delegation led by Minister Keerthana will travel to Taiwan on September 4 to participate in the Semicon conference.

The Chief Minister's outreach in United Kingdom takes place against the backdrop of an expanded bilateral commercial architecture. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), formally designated as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and recognized as one of the largest trade agreements of modern times, came into effect on 15 July 2026.

Total bilateral trade between the UK and India reached GBP 48 billion in 2025. With the implementation of the trade framework, commercial exchanges are positioned for immediate expansion, allowing consumers across both countries cheaper, quicker, and easier access to British and Indian goods and services.

Under the terms of the agreement, 99 per cent of Indian goods entering the UK market and 90 per cent of UK goods entering India will either enter duty free or face significantly reduced tariffs.

The broad-based tariff reductions are slated to directly benefit core sectors across both nations, including automotive, manufacturing, consumer goods, creative industries, and medical technology, marking a key milestone in the bilateral economic partnership.

Over the long term, the economic pact is projected to expand bilateral trade by GBP 25.5 billion annually, while adding GBP 5.1 billion to India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GBP 4.8 billion to the UK GDP each year. (ANI)