The ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta hosted the fifth meeting of the joint committee for the revision of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Saturday.
According to the government, “it marks a significant milestone in enhancing economic cooperation between ASEAN and India.”
It stated that in order to create a shared understanding of the topics covered in the AITIGA review, the Indian delegation also held bilateral discussions with counterparts from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam on the fringes of the 5th AITIGA meeting.
The ministry continued, “Separate meetings were also held with ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Satvinder Singh and ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn to discuss the possibilities in enhancing economic cooperation between India and ASEAN through a review of AITIGA.”
According to the report, the AITIGA Joint Committee and its Sub-Committees began negotiations in February 2024 after deciding on the JC’s Terms of Reference and Negotiating Structure and starting discussions for an AITIGA review in May 2023.
The ministry stated that the first two rounds of talks took place in New Delhi in February 2024 and Putrajaya, Malaysia, in May 2024.
The ministry reported that all eight Sub-Committees addressing “National Treatment and Market Access,” “Rules of Origin,” “Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures,” “Sanitary and Phytosanitary,” “Legal and Institutional Issues,” “Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation,” “Trade Remedies,” and “Economic and Technical Cooperation” met with the 5th AITIGA JC during the third round of negotiations in Jakarta, Indonesia. During these meaningful discussions, the Sub-Committees made significant progress during this round of negotiations.
It further stated that every Sub-Committee submitted the results of their deliberations to the Fifth AITIGA JC, which offered additional direction for their next efforts.
With an approximate 11% stake in India’s global trade, ASEAN is a significant trading partner. The 2009-signed AITIGA review will contribute to the development of new business prospects for both parties to raise the volume of trade between India and ASEAN. The ministry announced that the AITIGA Joint Committee’s next meeting will take place in India on November 19–22, 2024.
Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, India, and Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, Deputy Secretary General (Trade), Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry, Malaysia, co-chaired the meeting, which took place from July 29 to August 1.
The ministry stated that “delegates from all 10 ASEAN Countries and India participated in the meeting.”
