NEW DELHI: India is exploring new areas of cooperation — including maritime and space — with the UAE in order to boost their strategic partnershipce, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on social media following his visit to the Gulf state. 

Goyal was in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a two-day trip to review the progress of India’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the UAE and for talks with top Emirati officials and business leaders. 

While there, he co-chaired the UAE-India Business Council Roundtable with UAE Foreign Trade Minister Thani Al-Zeyoudi, as well as co-chairing the 13th India-UAE High Level Task Force on Investments alongside Sheikh Hamed Al-Nahyan, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. 

His meetings were focused on “expanding collaboration in diverse sectors and new investment opportunities,” Goyal wrote on X after concluding his trip late on Friday. 

“With a shared commitment to growth and prosperity, the India-UAE strategic partnership continues to further pave the way for deeper engagement, larger investments and greater business opportunities.” 

The meetings he attended in the UAE last week “explored new frontiers for investment and collaboration, especially in the maritime and space sectors, to drive mutual growth,” Goyal said.

The two countries also have “immense avenues … to collaborate across strategic sectors,” including in AI, energy security and infrastructure, he added. 

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has been cementing its place as a global space power. In January it became the fourth country to achieve docking in space by joining two small aircraft. 

Goyal’s trip follows Al-Zeyoudi’s visit to India last month, during which the two countries explored ways to further enhance trade ties under the UAE-India CEPA, which has been in effect since May 2022. The agreement has reduced tariffs on about 80 percent of all goods and provided zero-duty access to 90 percent of Indian exports. 

Bilateral non-oil trade between India and the Emirates amounted to $38 billion in the first half of 2025, according to data from India’s commerce ministry, marking a 34 percent increase over the first half of 2024. The surge has been led by sectors including gems and jewelry, machinery, chemicals, and smartphones.