Australia Business Week in India

This week I will lead a large trade delegation to the world's fastest-growing major economy for the second Australia Business Week in India (ABWI).

ABWI 2017 will showcase Australian talent, technology and expertise, and introduce more than 150 Australian business leaders to potential partners and opportunities.

India is a significant economic and trading partner, with one of the world's largest and youngest workforces. It is Australia's fifth largest export market for goods and sixth for services, with total exports valued at $14.9 billion in 2016.

By 2030, India is forecast to be the world's third-largest economy.

In addition to Australia's ongoing bilateral and regional trade agreement negotiations with India, there is great potential to expand our trade and investment relationship and deepen our already significant people-to-people ties.

To that end, ABWI 2017 will feature more than 75 events in six Indian cities: New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bhopal.

ABWI will focus on areas of Australian capability that can work with Indian counterparts through the country's modernisation program, such as agribusiness, mining expertise, higher education and smart infrastructure.

During ABWI the Australia-India CEO Forum will meet to discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment and Peter Varghese AO, former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and former High Commissioner to India, will lead consultations on the government's India Economic Strategy.

ABWI 2017 builds on the success of ABWI 2015, which created lasting relationships and generated business worth millions of dollars, including more than 20 significant deals between Indian and Australian firms.