India remains reliable investment destination despite global uncertainty, says Piyush Goyal
India remains a predictable and reliable destination for global investors despite geopolitical conflicts and economic uncertainty, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He pitched the country’s market access, technological capabilities and governance standards as key advantages.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026 in Visakhapatnam, Goyal said India was positioning itself as a trusted partner as global businesses reassessed investment destinations and supply chains.
He said India had concluded nine free trade agreements (FTAs) and preferential trade agreements (PTAs) over the past four and a half years, covering 38 countries with a combined GDP of $60 trillion. With ongoing trade engagements, coverage could expand to $85 trillion, nearly three-quarters of the estimated global GDP of $115 trillion.
These agreements would create opportunities for businesses, services, skilled professionals and the country’s 2.5 lakh startups, he said.
Goyal identified open markets, technological capabilities and reliability as the three assurances India offered investors. He said the country was building capabilities across emerging sectors, while Andhra Pradesh was developing specialised industrial and technology hubs.
Citing the proposed drone city at Orvakal, space city at Tirupati, green hydrogen hub at Pudimadaka and Quantum Valley in Amaravati, he said the State was preparing for the next phase of industrial and technological growth. Visakhapatnam, he added, was expanding its industrial base from steel to silicon.
The Minister said global companies could conduct research and development in India at a fraction of Western costs, with intellectual property rights fully protected. “India does not ask for transfer of technology and does not steal anybody’s technology,” he said.
Goyal also praised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s focus on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum engineering and data centres. He said Andhra Pradesh had moved from “Ease of Doing Business” to “Speed of Doing Business”. The State’s escrow mechanism for timely disbursement of investment incentives was another positive, he said.
Describing trust as an increasingly important factor in international business, Goyal cited India’s supply of vaccines, medicines and food grains to more than 100 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic as evidence of its reliability.
“If the 20th century was dictated by cost arbitrage, the 21st century will be defined by trust arbitrage,” he said, arguing that investors would increasingly prioritise transparent governance, speed and scale over the lowest production costs.
Praising Visakhapatnam’s preparedness to host the Summit despite two cyclones, on October 28 and November 3, Goyal said the city’s resilience reflected the State’s disaster management capabilities.
He invited global companies to set up manufacturing, research and global capability centres in India, and urged partner nations to invest in factories, hotels and data centres in Andhra Pradesh.
The two-day Summit, jointly organised by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Andhra Pradesh government and the CII, is attended by policymakers, Ministers and business leaders from nearly 60 countries. Held under the theme “Navigating the New World Order: Trade, Technology, Trust and Thought Leadership”, the event is expected to attract significant investment commitments.