Global Technology Summit 2021: “India, UK Are Natural Partners” Says UK PM Boris Johnson

• In Updates
• 27 Dec 2021, 04:49 AM
• By Technologist Confidant

In the 2021 Global Technology Summit, the British PM Boris Johnson said that UK and India are “Natural Partners”, and both the countries are working on many “fantastic projects” that will deepen the ties between the two countries.

The Global Technology Summit took place from 14- 16 December 2021, themed "Global Meets Local". The sixth iteration of the Summit aims to take a comprehensive look at the changing nature of technology and geopolitics by assessing the global effects through considering the emerging new realities.

Theme

The Summit was held in a hybrid format with industry experts, policymakers, scholars and scientists across the world gracing the occasion. The theme of "Global Meets Local" has specific three sub-themes

• The Future of Technology: Resilience and Partnerships
• Technology and Innovation: Roadmap to Sustainability and Inclusion
• Glocalizing Emerging Technologies: Building Digital Capabilities.

India-UK ties

The British Prime Minister described India and the UK as natural partners, working together on projects like 5G and telecom to startups that will revolutionise the people's lives while promoting the principles of freedom, openness and peace. India and the UK look forward to deepening the strategic bonds, especially the technology front and other areas set out in the 2030 India-UK Roadmap.

Along with the 5G and telecom project, Britain is also working with TATA Group and Godrej on green technologies that will help power both countries to net-zero. Both the countries ascertained the growing importance of technology in the modern world, but at the same time focus should also be on whether the technology is "trusted, transparent, reliable and resilient".

Digital Technology skills like artificial intelligence and quantum computing will help find answers to different workplace challenges. Both countries agreed to develop digital technology skills to solve human challenges.

The threat of technology falling into the wrong hands was a pivot point that UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss raised. He called upon the freedom-loving democracies to shape global technologies and support their interests. Both countries' areas of interest are in the realms of cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, and developing the information technology infrastructure.

Way forward

The UK-India Roadmap 2030 and Global Technology Summit have also paved the way to more medium to long term investments of British corporates in the Indian technology firms specialising in manufacturing green technology and advanced financial technologies. At the same time, several Indian firms like TATA, Infosys will expand their businesses in the UK.

Also Read - India Joins The UK's Breakthrough Agenda On Affordable And Sustainable Technology