Digital trade issue continues to be a major cause for concern for India

Govt seeks clarity before joining trade pillar under IPEF

The government is divided over its final decision to join the trade pillar under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), even as member-nations are inching towards finalising agreements on all the four pillars by November.

This is because apart from other sensitive areas such as labour and environment, digital trade continues to remain a major cause for concern and is a ‘red flag’ for India, people aware of the matter said.

“India has also sought some clarity regarding the direction of the negotiations on digital trade from the United States, (since it is a sensitive issue) before firming up a decision