AIBC Chair Deepak-Raj Gupta highlights growing Australia-India trade ties

Canberra, January 20 (Australia India News Newsdesk)

The Australia India Business Council (AIBC) and its National Chair, Deepak-Raj Gupta OAM, were recently featured in Canberra CityNews, emphasizing the Council’s pivotal role in strengthening trade ties between Australia and India.

Under Deepak’s leadership, AIBC has been fostering partnerships across vital sectors such as defence, technology, education, health, industry, and manufacturing. These efforts aim to drive innovation and expand the Australia-India bilateral trade corridor.

Deepak, who previously served as the ACT AIBC President and as the first Indian-born MLA in the ACT Legislative Assembly, has a long history with the Council. He founded the ACT chapter of AIBC in 2006 and has spent nearly two decades working to strengthen Australia-India relations.

As the National Chair, Deepak sees his role as a significant responsibility to facilitate trade and deepen ties. “India will soon be a major market for Australian companies,” he said, highlighting the exponential growth of bilateral trade.

In Canberra, Indian international students, tourism, and cultural elements such as food and music already play a significant role in the local economy. However, Deepak is keen to broaden this engagement to include innovation, investment, and tourism. He advocates for moving beyond the stereotype of the Indian community as primarily focused on entertainment, aiming instead for deeper collaborations in business and technology. Deepak also calls for stronger “government-to-government” and “business-to-business” communications, complementing the existing strong “peopleto-people” connections. He believes Australia stands to gain significantly from Indian companies’ advancements in scientific innovation and technology.

Describing the evolving trade relationship, Deepak said, “We’ve had our ‘romance,’ but it’s time to put the ring on the finger.” This metaphor captures his vision of transitioning the AustraliaIndia trade partnership into a more formal and impactful collaboration.

With AIBC’s ongoing efforts under Deepak’s leadership, the future of Australia-India trade relations appears poised for substantial growth and meaningful contributions to both nations’ economies.