India hosted the 8th meeting of the AITIGA Joint Committee to review the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, from April 07 to 11, 2025. The event was conducted in a hybrid format. The meeting was co-chaired by Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and Deputy Co-Chair Dr Sugumari S Shanmugam Senior Director Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia. The meeting saw participation from delegates representing ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

The committee's primary objective was to advance the on-going review of the AITIGA, aiming to modernize the agreement to be more effective, user-friendly, and conducive to trade. Five out of eight Sub-Committees (SCs) under the AITIGA JC also conducted hybrid meetings on the margins of the 8th AITIGA JC. Out of which, four SCs, namely Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (SC-CPTF); Sub-Committee on Economic & Technical cooperation (SC-ETC); Sub-Committee on National Treatment and Market Access (SC-NTMA); and Sub-Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SC-SPS) met in New Delhi, India, while the Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin (SC-ROO) met in Jakarta, Indonesia, facilitating progress in textual discussions and progressing in groundwork for tariff negotiations.

ASEAN remains a pivotal trade partner for India, accounting for approximately 11 per cent of India's global trade. In the fiscal year 2023-24, bilateral trade between India and ASEAN reached $ 121 billion.

The next AITIGA JC meeting is scheduled for June 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, continuing the collaborative efforts to enhance ASEAN-India economic integration.

News source: PIB