India is actively engaged in ongoing FTA negotiations with multiple countries and blocs, including Oman, the UK, the EU, Canada, and various Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) partner countries. The negotiations focus on market access, compliance with environmental and labour standards, and the reduction of high import duties. India currently has 13 functional FTAs and aims to tap into the large and rapidly growing market of 1.4 billion people. The apparel sector expects game-changing opportunities with FTAs with the UK and the EU, while the gem and jewellery sector anticipates a significant boost in exports through an FTA with the EU. FTAs have become the mainstay of India s trade policy, offering both economic gains and geostrategic dividends.
anshuman behera (observer research foundation)introductionbeginning in may 2023, the outbreak of violence between the meiteis and the kukis in india’s north eastern state of manipur has once again brought the decades-long ethnic conflicts to the lim
In a recent article in the Ottawa Hill-Times, journalist David Crane asked an important question: “Is Canada trying to match or outdo American hostility to China?”Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (CIPS), announced in Vancouver recently by Liberal foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly and other ministers, answers that que
The implementation of the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement in 2006 suggests that regional economic integration is being seriously pursued in south Asia. Given the economic asymmetry in south Asia and the predominant position of India in the region, the article proposes India as an anchor economy that can connect south Asia with east Asia to form an Asia-wide free trade arrangement. It suggests a review of the existing agreements like the Bangkok Agreement and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation in terms of membership and sectoral coverage as these can act as potent instruments in facilitating the south Asia-east Asia economic integration.