Hours before Stephen Harper?s plane set down in India, he was already signalling his embrace of one of the world?s most formidable economies ? with a bite of a samosa.
On the way to Agra, where he eventually arrived on Sunday evening, Harper tucked into a platter of the savoury Indian pastry with three of his Indo-Canadian MPs.
?I?m a spicy food eater,? Harper conceded to reporters and photographers who had been invited to his private cabin on the government plane.
?I like everything, I love Indian food, I don?t eat it that often, but I love Indian food.?
Harper?s unusually long six-day trip to India will be heavily focused on encouraging trade and investment, but will also touch on the personal ties between the two countries ? namely, the one-million strong Indian diaspora in Canada.
Several reporters from Indo-Canadian media outlets have come along for Harper?s trip. Harper is set to visit Chandigarh in the Punjab region, from which so many Canadians hail.
The first stop on Monday will be at one of India?s most iconic locations ? the Taj Majal.
The site is actually an elaborate marble tomb built by a 17th century emperor as a tribute to his beloved wife.
Later in the afternoon, Harper is scheduled to participate in a business forum in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
Trade between Canada and India sits at a modest $5.2 billion annually, but the two countries would like to see it rise to $15 billion by 2015.
A foreign investment and a trade deal are both still in negotiations, and the two nations have yet to agree on the strings attached to Canada selling India uranium under a 2-year-old nuclear deal.
Harper will also visit the technology and services hub of Bangalore during his visit, a buzzing city that symbolizes the kind of growth and entrepreneurship that Canada would like to tap into. India?s economy is projected to grow by 5.8 per cent in 2012-13, much lower than in previous years, but still healthy compared to that of some western nations.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NP_Top_Stories/~3/-HtimSiOp5o/
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