Next round of India-Asean trade pact review talks in October in Jakarta

The next round of review talks for the India-Asean free trade agreement in goods will be held in October this year in Jakarta, an official statement said on Friday.

The tenth round of the negotiations concluded here this month (August 10-14).

The Commerce Ministry said the Joint Committee focused on advancing the ongoing review of AITIGA (Asean India trade in goods agreement) to enhance its effectiveness, accessibility, and trade facilitation capabilities.

ASEAN remains a key trade partner for India, accounting for around 11 per cent of India's global trade.

The bilateral trade reached $123 billion in 2024-25, reflecting the strong economic ties between the two sides and creating opportunities for enhanced cooperation in the years ahead, it said.

 

"The next AITIGA Joint Committee meeting is scheduled for 6-7 October 2025 at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, and will be hosted by Malaysia," it added.

In a separate statement, the ministry said the fourth meeting of the India-Singapore Joint Working Group on Trade andInvestment (JWGTI) was held here on August 14.

Discussions focused on identifying priority sectors for greater alignment, improving logistics and supply chains, streamlining regulatory frameworks, and exploring ways to facilitate cross-border trade.

The meeting reviewed ongoing collaboration in areas like the semiconductor sector and digitalisation of trade, and explored potential partnerships in skills development and capacity building.

Singapore is India's largest trading partner within ASEAN, with total bilateral trade of $34.26 billion during 2024-25.

It is also India's second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI), with equity inflows of $163.85 billion (Rs 11,24,509.65 crore) between April 2000 and July 2024, accounting for about 24 per cent of India's total inflows.