Page 2 - Free Trade Agreements

India, New Zealand trade pact to boost trade, investment ties: Ministry

The proposed free trade agreement between India and New Zealand is expected to enhance trade flows, deepen investment linkages and strengthen supply-chain resilience, the commerce ministry said on Saturday. It may also provide greater predictability and market access for businesses in both countries, it said. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was here to give an impetus to the trade pact negotiations with his New Zealand counterpart Todd McClay. The fourth round of negotiations on the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concluded on November 7, in Auckland and Rotorua. The ministers "acknowledged the steady progress made during this round and reaffirmed their commitment to work towards a modern, comprehensive, and future-ready FTA," it said. Both delegations held detailed engagements across key tracks, including trade in goods, trade in services, economic and trade cooperation, and rules of origin. "The ongoing discussions reflect the shared resolve of both nat

India won't rush trade deals, will reject terms curbing its choices: Goyal

Piyush Goyal made these remarks while speaking at the Berlin Global Dialogue, adding that New Delhi would take a measured approach

India, Brazil look to broaden PTA, eye $20 bn bilateral trade by 2030

India and Brazil plan to broaden their preferential trade agreement under the Mercosur framework, eyeing $20 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and new digital cooperation

India-EFTA trade pact to take effect on Oct 1 with $100 bn investment plan

The free trade agreement between India and the four-nation European bloc EFTA will come into force from Wednesday under which New Delhi has received an investment commitment of USD 100 billion in 15 years from the grouping while allowing several products such as Swiss watches, chocolates and cut and polished diamonds at lower or zero duties. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. It was signed on March 10, 2024. Domestic customers will get access to high-quality Swiss products such as watches, chocolates, biscuits, and clocks at lower prices as India will phase out customs duties under the trade pact on these goods over 10 years. The bloc committed an investment of USD 100 billion -- USD 50 billion within 10 years after the implementation of the agreement and another USD 50 billion in the next five years - which would facilitate the creation of one million direct jobs in India. This is a first-of-its-kind pledge agree

Italian dy PM confirms support for finalisation of FTA between EU, India

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani has met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here and expressed Rome's commitment to the finalisation of the Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union. Antonio Tajani in a post on X on Thursday described the meeting as "important" and said he would be visiting India in the coming months. "In New York, I also had important meetings with the Indian Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar and the Commerce Minister @PiyushGoyal," said Tajani. "Italy and India share a strategic political and economic partnership that we intend to strengthen with my further visit to India in the coming months," he added. Stating that India is a priority country, he said, "...for this reason I wanted the 'India' measure of 500 million euros to support our exporting companies". "I confirmed Italy's support for a rapid finalisation of the Free Trade Agreement," he .

British Parliament panel opens inquiry into impact of India-UK FTA

The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has opened an inquiry this week into the impacts and implications of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), concluded during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Britain in July. The cross-party panel, which includes British Indian Conservative peer Baroness Sandy Verma, is seeking evidence from experts and stakeholders as part of the parliamentary process before the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) can come into effect. With a target to double bilateral trade to USD 120 billion by 2030, the CETA has been pitched by the Prime Minister Keir Starmer-led government as a landmark agreement" that will increase trade by 25.5 billion pounds and UK GDP by 4.8 billion pounds annually in the long run. As we undertake a new programme of evidence gathering, covering the terms of the FTA, its potential benefits and disadvantages, and provisions for key UK sectors, among other issues, we encourage anyone with experience

India, US still in dialogue for bilateral trade deal, says Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal said India and the US remain in talks for a trade deal despite tariff frictions, even as India advances free trade agreements with the EU and other partners

Xi meets Maldives Prez Muizzu, urges stronger ties via FTA implementation

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu here on Sunday and called for deepening bilateral ties with effective implementation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit being held here on Sunday. The Maldives is a Dialogue Partner of the 10-member SCO bloc. Xi told Muizzu that the two countries have achieved positive progress in advancing Belt and Road cooperation, and China will continue to deepen practical cooperation with the Maldives to ensure the effective implementation of the China-Maldives FTA. Both countries should advance cooperation in areas including fisheries, marine scientific research, environmental protection, as well as disaster prevention and reduction, he said. For his part, Muizzu said the Maldives is willing to work with China to expand cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, housing construction and tourism, and to strengthen coordination and .

Qatar wants to negotiate trade pact with India, says Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Oman will be finalised soon, and Qatar also wants to negotiate a pact with India. He also assured exporters of all support to deal with the current global uncertainties at the trade front, which was caused due to unilateral actions of a country. The government is in consultation with all the stakeholders, including Indian Missions abroad, for diversification of exports, he said. He added that domestic consumption will get a boost from GST reforms. "Our exports this year will be higher than last year," Goyal said at an event here. India's share in global trade is only about 2 per cent, and about 40 per cent of items of the total exports to the US are out of the ambit of 50 per cent tariffs, so the impact will be less. Free Trade Agreement with Oman "will be finalised soon," he said, adding "Qatar also wants to do a trade agreement", and Saudi Arabia is also keen. Goyal added that talks with

India shifts focus to EU as US tariffs stall bilateral trade negotiations

With US tariffs squeezing exports and trade talks stalled, India banks on the UK FTA to push forward EU negotiations, covering autos, wines, procurement and digital trade

New Cloud lobby seeks 'national asset' status for India's strategic data

B-DIA is further lobbying for mandatory government-backed data backups, physical audits, and source code access from all foreign vendors operating in sovereign sectors

Indian retail sector to reach $1.93 trn by 2030: Deloitte-FICCI report

According to the report, the quick commerce segment is projected to reach $35 billion in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) by 2030

FTAs may give India a share in $875 bn imports to EU, UK from China: BCG

India's proposed free trade agreement (FTAs) with the European Union could unlock access to a USD 875 billion market and bring tariff parity with ASEAN peers as the country navigates a critical juncture in the evolving global trade landscape, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), India-head Rahul Jain said. Last month, India and the UK inked a landmark FTA that will cut tariffs on British whisky, cars and an array of items, besides boosting bilateral trade by around USD 34 billion annually. The FTA is expected to benefit 99 per cent Indian exports from tariff. "The global trade environment is undergoing a structural transformation where geopolitics and economic nationalism are becoming as important as cost-efficiency and comparative advantage. Trade today is increasingly influenced by preferential access for partner nations, punitive tariffs and sanctions for adversaries and incentives that are rewiring supply chains to boost domestic production in strategic sectors," he told PTI. The ...

Basmati players cautious post trade deal with UK, shrimp exporters upbeat

While lower landed costs of basmati rice are welcome, traders feel it will be hard to entirely replace suppliers from Pakistan; meanwhile, marine and agricultural products are expected to see a bump

Datanomics: Market access vs mass survival in unequal India-US fields

The US move on tariff is seen as its pressure tactics on forcing New Delhi to sign a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with Washington

India liquor stocks rally on UK trade deal, premium spirits focus

Shares of India's Tilaknagar Industries Ltd and Allied Blenders & Distillers Ltd have surged more than 40 per cent since late April

Piyush Goyal hopeful of concluding US trade deal after 'fantastic' progress

Trump threatened a 26 per cent tariff on Indian imports in April but paused implementation to allow for talks

India US in active talks on bilateral trade pact, govt tells Parliament

Teams of both India and the US are presently engaged in "active negotiations" on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), the government informed Parliament on Thursday. In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh also said, "Discussions are aimed at adopting an integrated approach to further strengthen and deepen bilateral trade relations, including through enhanced mutual market access, reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers, and closer integration of supply chains." The Ministry of External Affairs was asked by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi whether the government has taken note of the recent announcement by the US administration regarding the reimposition of tariffs on Indian exports. "On the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Washington, DC on 1 July 2025, the External Affairs Minister referred to the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations that are going on between India and

Indo-UK deal to give Indian market access at lower tariff, says JLR

Jaguar Land Rover on Thursday said the India-UK free trade agreement would help the marquee automaker to access lower tariffs in India for its luxury models. Under the India-UK FTA, India will reduce tariffs on automotive imports from about 110 per cent to 10 per cent under quotas on both sides, benefiting companies such as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). "We welcome this free trade agreement between the UK and India, which over time will deliver reduced tariff access to the Indian car market for JLR's luxury vehicles," a company spokesperson said in a statement. India is an important market for the company's British-built products and represents significant future growth opportunities, the spokesperson added. In a separate query regarding a change in pricing of imported products into the Indian market, a UK-based spokesperson said: "No decisions have been made on pricing." Around 60 per cent of the cars JLR sells in India, including popular models in the Range Rover portfolio Range Rov

Govt opposes EU plan for capital flow checks, cites sovereignty issues

The proposal, unusual in most free trade agreements, has raised concerns in New Delhi over limiting its ability to act unilaterally during crises