Chancellor Brown on three-day visit to India

London, Jan 15 (UNI) Chancellor Gordon Brown, expected to be Britain's Prime Minister by summer this year, is leaving for a three-day visit to India from January 17.

His visit is deemed significant for developing further economic and trade ties between the two countries.

This will be his first visit to India, but he has said on several occasions that there is a need for Britain to rise to the challenge of the Indian and Chinese developing economic power.

He is known to be well-inclined towards expanding business relations with India, even make it a platform for British business companies for going to other Asian markets.

The visit will also help Mr Brown understand modern India and improve his image as an international statesman before he becomes the prime minister. As Chancellor, Mr Brown knows well that India is now the second largest investor in Britain and several mergers are on the cards.

He will also team up with Alistair Darling, the Industry Secretary who has already gone to India with a delegation of about 80 British businessmen and investors for a meeting with Indian business chiefs in Bangalore.

Mr Brown is reportedly very well briefed and has studied India.

He has been reeling out in his speeches the number of engineers, computer experts and graduates that come out of universities in India every year.

He is also against protectionism. He condemned it and said he wanted the UK to become a great ''globalisation success story''.

Improved infrastructure, skills and entrepreneurship were key to competing against China and India.

UNI