Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi jointly addresses the Australia-India CEOs Forum and Economic Roadmap Business event in Melbourne on July 9, 2026, calling for early conclusion of CECA and deeper collaboration in critical minerals, EVs, AI and defence supply chains.
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jointly addressed the Australia-India CEOs Forum and the Economic Roadmap Business event in Melbourne on July 9, 2026. The two events brought together leading Indian and Australian CEOs and business leaders, representatives of major Australian superannuation funds and institutional investors and Vice-Chancellors of leading Australian universities.
Addressing the CEOs Forum, Modi highlighted that India’s strong economic growth, policy reforms, digital transformation and expanding innovation ecosystem are creating new business opportunities for Australian partners. He underlined vast opportunities in India across manufacturing, clean energy, critical minerals, mining, infrastructure, urban development, aviation, logistics, advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, fintech, food processing and the digital economy, and invited Australian investors to consider long-term investments in India. He also welcomed the growing presence of Australian universities in India and called for deeper collaboration in higher education, research, innovation and skill development.
At the Economic Roadmap Business event, a larger gathering of over 200 CEOs and business leaders from both sides, Modi highlighted shared democratic values, a common vision for the Indo-Pacific, vibrant people-to-people ties and strong political understanding as the foundation for a deepening bilateral business partnership. Expressing satisfaction at the growth of trade and investment ties under the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) of 2022, he called for the early conclusion of the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to propel bilateral business ties to a new level. He urged business leaders to leverage complementary strengths in rare earths, lithium, batteries, electronics, EVs, semiconductors, AI and defence supply chains and suggested that Indian states and Australian provinces forge dynamic economic partnerships based on their respective core competencies.
Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)
