New Delhi, July 23 -- Bolstering economic and security cooperation will be a common thread linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits to Britain and the Maldives beginning on Wednesday, with the formal signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) set to be the highlight of the trip to the UK. Modi will first travel to the UK during July 23-24 for meetings with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III, and then to the Maldives during July 25-26 to be the guest of honour at the Indian Ocean archipelago's Independence Day celebrations. Both visits are opportunities to strengthen ties in a wide range of areas, especially trade, investment, defence and security, foreign secretary Vikram Misri told a media briefing on Tuesday. Starmer is expected to host Modi at Chequers, the country residence of the British prime minister located 50 km northwest of London, people familiar with the matter said. The commerce ministers of the two sides - Piyush Goyal and Jonathan Reynolds - are expected to sign the FTA that was finalised on May 6, the people said on condition of anonymity. The FTA is expected to increase two-way trade from the current level of almost $58 billion by $34 billion in the long run, according to a fact sheet from the UK. India will get tariff elimination on 99% of its tariff lines under the deal, covering nearly 100% of trade value. The UK will get reduced tariffs on 90% of British tariff lines, including the cutting of levies on whisky, automobiles, lamb and medical devices. Labour-intensive sectors such as Indian textiles and apparel will get a competitive advantage against countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. Under the Double Contribution Convention, there will be an exemption for employers of Indian workers from paying social security contributions in the UK for three years, making it significantly easier to send workers on posting to Britain. Misri said that since the FTA was announced by Modi and Starmer on May 6, the two sides have engaged in the legal scrubbing of the deal. "Last-minute work on that is continuing," he said. The UK is the sixth largest investor in India, with cumulative investments of $36 billion. India's investments in the UK are close to $20 billion, and some 1,000 Indian companies operating in Britain provide employment to almost 100,000 people and have cumulative revenues of $91 billion. Technology, research, innovation and education have emerged as other key pillars of India-UK cooperation and the PMs will review cooperation in these fields, Misri said....