India and Australia on Saturday concluded another round of negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. The two countries have implemented an interim trade deal in December 2022, and are now in negotiations to widen its scope into a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. "The 11th Round of India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) negotiations was held in New Delhi from 18-23 August 2025, further advancing the shared objective of strengthening bilateral trade and economic partnership," the commerce ministry said. The negotiations covered a wide range of areas, including goods, services and mobility, digital trade, rules of origin, legal and institutional provisions, environment, labour, and gender, bringing greater understanding for convergence in the remaining provisions, it added. To maintain momentum and achieve convergence, both partners will continue the negotiations in virtual ...
Russia dominates grouping with more than 92% share in India's trade
US Vice President JD Vance, who attended Trump's meeting with Zelenskiy in February that ended in a remarkable clash, will also participate in today's talks, a source briefed on the matter said
While Donald Trump had gone into Friday's summit with Putin seeking a ceasefire, he'd emerged saying he was going to focus on a final settlement
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Sunday called on Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and President Ramchandra Paudel and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties across various sectors. Misri arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day visit to the Himalayan nation on the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai. During his meeting with Oli, which took place at the Prime Minister's Office at Singhdurbar, matters of mutual interest were discussed to further deepen bilateral relations. Misri reaffirmed the deep civilizational ties and strong IndiaNepal partnership, and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation across various sectors, the Indian embassy here said in an X post. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava was also present at the meeting. The foreign secretary separately called on President Paudel and conveyed greetings of the Indian leadership, apart from briefing Hon'ble President on the progress in bilateral ties, the embassy sa
Earlier in an interview with Fox Business, Bessent said India has been a "bit recalcitrant" on trade negotiations with the US
Bessent said he hoped the Trump administration could wrap up its trade negotiations by the end of October
Officials told a parliamentary panel that India-US ties go beyond trade, denied halting defence purchases, and expressed confidence the sixth BTA talks will proceed
Indian manufacturers can significantly expand their exports, particularly in the independent aftermarket segment amid US tariffs, says EY report
India and the Philippines are taking concrete steps towards launching formal negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement, Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr said on Wednesday. Addressing the 'India-Philippines CEO Roundtable Meeting', organised by FICCI, here, President Marcos emphasised that the Philippines and India see the PTA as a strategic platform to harness their shared strengths and elevate our economic partnership. "We are working to find common ground to make the PTA come as quickly as possible. We have found ways to quicken the process with strong support from both government and business chambers, we are taking concrete steps towards launching formal negotiations," he said, according to a release issued by FICCI. Marcos also stated that the government has taken a slew of measures to attract more Indian investments by ensuring ease of doing business in the Philippines. "These reforms show our commitment to create a truly enabling environment for ...
Mahindra Group CEO and MD Anish Shah has expressed confidence in the government's handling of trade talks with the US, saying he was hopeful of a strong and positive outcome for the country from the dialogue. With just a day left before his 25 per cent reciprocal trade tariffs take effect, US President Donald Trump is doubling down on his threat to impose even higher duties on India, accusing it of funding Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine through continued purchases of Russian oil. "For us, it is not very material," he said on the impact of US tariffs on the Mahindra group," said Shah in an interview with PTI Videos. Shah, who leads the USD 25 billion SUVs-to-software conglomerate, said the Indian government has always kept the overall interest of the country in mind and operated in a way that could get a good solution. Indian officials continue to negotiate with the US for a bilateral trade deal by October/November and see the higher duties on the country's exports to the US as a .
Our Opinion page today makes a case for more trade talks, note less; benefits for Isro from partnering with Nasa; a sustainable fix for urban congestion; and the need for a framework for digital fraud
The fundamental challenge for the Indian economy is to increase productivity and competitiveness
The government will protect the interest of farmers in trade negotiations with the US, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday. "We have said clearly the country's interest is top priority. Farmers' interest will be protected," Chouhan told reporters after inaugurating the Meghalaya Pineapple Festival. The agriculture and dairy sector will be protected. "We keep in mind the country's interest while taking any decisions," he noted. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from India starting August 1, plus an unspecified penalty for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment. New Delhi has never opened the dairy sector in any of its earlier signed free trade pacts. The agri sector is politically sensitive for India, as about 700 million rural livelihoods are dependent on it. Lowering duties would also pose a risk to national food security. On Thursday, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goy
The US team will visit India on August 25 for the next round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement between the two countries, an official said on Tuesday. The official added that the two sides continue to be engaged in an interim trade deal as the August 1 deadline is approaching. August 1 marks the end of the suspension period of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on dozens of countries, including India (26 per cent). "The US team is visiting for the sixth round of talks," the official said. India and the US teams concluded the fifth round of talks for the agreement last week in Washington. India's chief negotiator and special secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal and Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch held the deliberations. These deliberations are important as both sides are looking at finalising an interim trade deal before August 1. On April 2 this year, Trump announced high reciprocal .
If CBAM adversely impacts Indian exports covered by the deal, the government will act to ensure that the agreed market access terms are not diluted
Despite the anticipated India-UK trade deal, Indian equity markets remained subdued, with a broad selloff overshadowing sector-specific optimism
The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is expected to boost trade in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, though industry players remain cautious about the impact of country of origin rules
India and the UK agree on a Double Contribution Convention that will benefit Indian workers and firms in the UK by exempting social security contributions for up to three years
European leaders are meeting with top Chinese officials in Beijing on Thursday to discuss trade, climate change and global conflicts, with observers saying expectations were low for any solid agreements. The talks, initially supposed to last two days but scaled back to one, come amid financial uncertainty around the world, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the threat of U.S. tariffs. Neither the EU nor China is likely to budge on key issues dividing the two economic juggernauts. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antnio Costa will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to mark 50 years of relations between Brussels and Beijing. Von der Leyen and Costa were expected to challenge China's strategies on a number of issues during the talks. They include Beijing's position on Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine; and China's trade imbalance with the EU, persistent cyberattacks and ...