India Hosts ASEAN FTA Review Meet, Trade Value Hits$128
bn Mark
Ř AITIGA Joint Committee Directs
Expedited Finalisation of Outstanding Review Chapters
·
India hosted the 13th ASEAN-India
Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee (JC) meeting in New
Delhi from 6–10 July 2026 in a hybrid format.
·
The meeting aims to review and modernise
the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA).
·
Three of the eight Sub-Committee meetings were
held alongside the Joint Committee:
o
Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (SC-CPTF)
o
National Treatment and Market Access (SC-NTMA)
o
Rules of Origin (SC-ROO)
·
The Joint Committee:
o
Reviewed progress under the AITIGA Review.
o
Directed the Sub-Committees to expedite the finalisation of outstanding chapters.
o
Assigned time-bound deliverables to maintain
momentum in negotiations.
·
The 13th Joint Committee meeting on 7 July
2026 was co-chaired by:
o
Nitin Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department
of Commerce, India.
o
Ms. Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, Deputy
Secretary General (Trade), Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry,
Malaysia.
·
Delegations from all 10 ASEAN Member States
participated:
o
Brunei
o
Cambodia
o
Indonesia
o
Lao PDR
o
Malaysia
o
Myanmar
o
Philippines
o
Singapore
o
Thailand
o
Viet Nam
·
ASEAN accounts for around 11% of India's global trade, making it
one of India's key trading partners.
·
India–ASEAN bilateral trade reached USD 128 billion in
2025–26.
·
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of India and
ASEAN to strengthen trade, investment, market access, and regional economic
cooperation through the upgraded AITIGA.
[ABS News Service/08.07.2026]
India hosted the 13th ASEAN-India
Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee (JC) and related meetings at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, from July 6 to 10, 2026, to
review the progress of negotiations under the AITIGA Review. The meetings are
being held in a hybrid format.
Meetings of three of the eight
Sub-Committees under the AITIGA Joint Committee are currently being held on the
sidelines of the 13th Joint Committee meeting. These
include the Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (SC-CPTF),
the Sub-Committee on National Treatment and Market Access (SC-NTMA), and the
Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin (SC-ROO). The meetings are serving as an
important platform to deepen cooperation, strengthen mutual understanding and
advance constructive dialogue between India and ASEAN.
The Joint Committee provided
strategic guidance to the Sub-Committees in their respective areas of work and
urged them to expedite the finalisation of the outstanding chapters under the
AITIGA Review. To maintain the momentum of negotiations, the Sub-Committees
were assigned time-bound deliverables and encouraged to work closely towards
achieving tangible outcomes within the agreed timelines.
The 13th AITIGA Joint Committee
meeting, held on July 7, 2026, was co-chaired by Additional Secretary,
Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Nitin Kumar Yadav,
and Deputy Secretary General (Trade), Ministry of Investment, Trade and
Industry, Malaysia, Ms. Mastura Ahmad Mustafa.
Delegations from all ASEAN Member States—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet
Nam—participated in the meeting.
ASEAN remains one of India's key
trading partners, accounting for around 11 per cent of India's global trade. Bilateral
trade between India and ASEAN reached USD 128 billion during 2025–26,
reflecting the strong economic partnership between the two sides and providing
further opportunities to expand trade and investment cooperation.