Page 26 - Trade

SJM hails India for blocking China-led investment facilitation pact at WTO

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch on Monday hailed India's success in blocking a China-led investment facilitation pact in the recently concluded WTO ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi and said it was a "very significant" move for global peace. Addressing a meeting organised here to discuss the outcomes of the WTO ministerial meet which concluded on March 1, Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said China, joined by more than 120 countries, had tried to push the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) as a plurilateral agreement at the meet. "China's proposal was presented as if it was going to bring a big revolution in the world. But, its entire efforts to push the addition of IFDA at the 13th WTO ministerial meet collapsed like a pack of cards after India and South Africa took a firm stand against it," Mahajan said. "It was a very significant step for world peace and India should be seen as a saviour for the way it was blocked," he added. Mahajan said th

India, EFTA trade pact will push growth of domestic wine industry: CIABC

Alcoholic beverages makers' body CIABC on Monday said the free trade agreement between India and four European nation bloc EFTA will help push the growth of the domestic wine industry. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) Director General Vinod Giri said that time-bound reduction of customs duties on an equitable and sustainable level will support the domestic industry. As per the documents of the agreement, duty concessions on wine are similar to those given to Australia, with no concessions for wines costing less than USD 5. Wines priced between USD 5 and less than USD 15 will see a duty reduction from 150 per cent to 100 per cent in the first year, then decreasing gradually to 50 per cent over 10 years. For wines costing USD 15 or more, he said, the initial duty cut is from 150 per cent to 75 per cent, eventually reducing to 25 per cent after 10 ...

Govt can withdraw duty concessions if EFTA doesn't invest $100 billion

India will have the option of temporarily withdrawing customs duty concessions on EFTA country goods under the trade agreement between the two sides, if the four European nation bloc would not fulfil its USD 100 billion investment obligations. Though the investments have to flow in 15 years -- USD 50 billion in the first 10 years (counted after implementation of the pact) and another USD 5 billion in next five years, the trade deal also provides for a three-year grace period to the EFTA bloc to meet the obligations, according to the documents accompanying the agreement. India and four-nation European Free Trade Association (EFTA) bloc signed Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on March 10 under which New Delhi received a foreign direct investment commitment of USD 100 billion in 15 years from the member countries of the grouping. The EFTA members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. There is a three-stage government-to-government consultation process ...

Exporters body FIEO unanimously elects Ashwani Kumar as new President

Exporters body FIEO on Monday said Ashwani Kumar has been elected as its new President. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said that Kumar was elected as president unanimously. He has replaced A Sakthivel. Kumar, who is a Jalandhar-based engineering exporter, replaced A Sakthivel. Besides serving as the Regional Chairman (Northern Region) of the organisation, Kumar has also represented various forums of Jalandhar including its Focal Point Industries Association, Effluent Treatment Society, Management Association, Badminton Association, and Integrated Association of SMEs. He is taking over the post at a time when global trade is undergoing a sea change.

CBIC issues circular to encourage women participation in logistics, trade

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has asked field offices to support in upskilling women logistics service providers and custom brokers as well as for custodians of freight stations to ensure safe and secure working environment. The CBIC has issued two circulars coinciding with International Women's Day on March 8. One relates to encouraging women participation in international trade, while the other is on inclusion of gender specific infrastructure facilities to be provided by the custodians of Inland Container Depot (ICD), container freight station (CFS) and Air Freight Stations (AFS). "It has been decided that in addition the existing infrastructural facilities as provided by the custodian CFS/AFS/ICD -- following gender specific infrastructure facilities may also be encouraged for inclusiveness of women participation," it said. The CBIC said gender responsive infrastructure at the logistics facilities, including sufficient lighting, panic buttons, should be

India-US trade likely to top $200 billion this year: Ambassador Garcetti

The India-United States trade is likely to surpass the previous record of USD 200 billion this year and huge opportunities exist for the two countries to expand cooperation in defence, space besides critical emerging technologies like semiconductors and artificial intelligence, said American Ambassador Eric Garcetti on Thursday. The US is proud to be India's No. 1 trading partner with two-way trade reaching nearly USD 200 billion last year, Garcetti told reporters in Indore. "I think this year we will break the (previous) record of USD 200 billion in bilateral trade (between India and the US)," he said. The envoy asserted that US President Joe Biden in the past had emphasized that trade between India and America should rise to the level of USD 500 billion given the potential for expansion. Efforts are on achieve this goal, said the Ambassador who took charge of his new diplomatic assignment last year. Garcetti said huge opportunities exist to further grow Indo-US trade, and for ..

India's free trade agreement with EFTA likely to be signed on March 10

The Union Cabinet on Thursday discussed the proposed free trade agreement between India and four European nation bloc EFTA and the pact is likely to be inked on Sunday, said sources. The negotiations for the pact with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland -- have concluded. The pact is expected to be signed on Sunday here, sources added. India and EFTA have been negotiating the pact, officially dubbed as Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), since January 2008 to boost economic ties. The agreement has several chapters including trade in goods, rules of origin, intellectual property rights (IPRs), trade in services, investment promotion and cooperation, trade and sustainable development, and trade facilitation. EFTA has 29 free trade agreements (FTAs) with 40 partner countries, including Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, and Korea. Under free trade pacts, two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate .

UK trade minister Badenoch doesn't see Indian election as deadline for FTA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to win a third term, with the official election campaign expected to begin in the coming weeks

Govt panel backs higher carbon tax on coal imports to limit polluting fuel

Coal is among India's top five commodity imports by value. Despite surging domestic production, mainly of low-quality coal with high ash content

RBI, Bank Indonesia partner to promote use of local currencies for trade

The Reserve Bank of India and Bank Indonesia (BI) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote use of local currencies for bilateral transactions. The MoU was signed here for establishing a framework to promote the use of local currencies viz., the Indian Rupee (INR) and the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) for cross-border transactions, RBI said in a statement. This framework would enable exporters and importers to invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies, which in turn would enable the development of an INR-IDR foreign exchange market. "Use of local currencies would optimise costs and settlement time for transactions," RBI said. The MoU was signed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo. "The MoU on establishing a framework for cooperation in the area of cross-border transactions in local currencies between India and Indonesia, aims to promote the use of INR and IDR bilaterally," RBI said. The central bank further said the

Exports of diamond expected to hit 5-year low in FY24 at $15-16 billion

India's cut and polished diamond (CPD) exports are expected to hit a five-year low in 2023-24 with a dip of around 25-30 per cent to USD 15-16 billion, according to a rating agency. The demand in the near term is expected to remain subdued with no significant recovery anticipated in the segment in FY'25, CareEdge Ratings said in a note. The US and China, the primary diamond-consuming markets, together account for approximately 65 per cent of India's diamond exports. However, the economic conditions in the US and China, the rise of alternative discretionary spending options, the growing market for lab-grown diamonds (LGD), and geopolitical tensions have negatively affected India's cut and polished diamond exports, the rating agency note said. These factors resulted in a 28 per cent year-on-year drop to USD 13.04 billion in the first ten months (April-January) of FY'24, driven by decreases in volume and value, it said. The impending impact of G7 sanctions on Russian-origin diamonds

Govt extends mandate for utilities to import 6% of coal needs until June

India last year had asked utilities to import 6% of their coal requirements until March due to an unprecedented surge in power and coal demand

Vizag Port signs pact to incorporate traffic management system services

The Visakhapatnam Port Authority on Monday entered into an agreement with the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts, Chennai for Vessel Traffic Management Systems services. Visakhapatnam Port chairperson M Angamuthu and National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) principal scientist D Kumaran Raju signed the deal in the port city. "Vessel traffic management systems is an integral part of modern maritime transportation, where these systems provide a comprehensive solution for monitoring and controlling vessel traffic in port area," said Angamuthu in a press release. For availing vessel traffic management systems services, Visakhapatnam Port will pay Rs 14 crore for a period of 10 years.

China downplays rising frictions with neighbours, says BRI gaining momentum

China on Monday sought to play down increasing tensions with its Asian neighbours over the simmering South China Sea dispute and the eastern Ladakh border issue with India, saying its initiatives like BRI are gaining momentum and trade is booming with regional countries. China has given high priority to its neighbouring countries in its overall diplomatic work, Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for China's parliament - the National People's Congress (NPC) - said while answering a question on China's tensions with Asian neighbours including criticism that Beijing is turning the South China Sea dispute into dangerous flashpoint and the unresolved issues in the region. Lou said, all the countries in the Indo-China peninsula, Central Asia have committed to build a community with a shared future with China, a preferred phrase of Chinese President Xi Jinping to highlight the future of China and the rest of the world is interlinked. You mentioned the South China Sea. Let me stress that China will

Nayara Energy exports decline by 10% in 2023 as domestic demand surges

Nayara Energy, India's largest private fuel retailer, saw petroleum product exports drop by 10 per cent in 2023 as it supplied more products domestically to meet the fuel demands of a growing economy, sources said. Nayara, which operates a 20 million tonne a year oil refinery at Vadinar in Gujarat and a network of over 6,500 petrol pumps, exported 6.21 million tonne of petroleum products, including jet fuel, gasoil (diesel) and gasoline (petrol) between January 2023 and December 2023, down 10 per cent year-on-year. This was primarily because of larger consumption at home. The company is catering to the domestic market through institutional business, sales to other oil companies and its own retail chain. Of all the petroleum products Nayara produced, 68 per cent were sold within the country and the remaining 32 per cent of products, including, ATF, gasoil and gasoline were exported, sources said. According to the oil ministry's Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), consumptio

Tamil Nadu contributes to 32% of India's total electronics exports till Jan

The state has been making rapid strides in all areas of industrial growth, primarily due to its connection with stakeholders

China's Premier Li Qiang urges stronger economic, trade ties with US

"Strengthening economic and trade cooperation is a win-win situation for both countries," Li told the delegation led by Chamber of Commerce chief Suzanne Clark

India slowly gaining electronics export market foothold from China: Study

The impact is most pronounced in the UK and US, where geopolitical tensions with China have increased in recent years

India, South Africa block investment agreement at WTO's Abu Dhabi meet

"It's hard to tell if we are going to land something or if we are sleepwalking into failure," said one trade delegate

Talks on upgrading India-S Korea FTA may conclude in 2024: Korean envoy

South Korea is hoping that the negotiations will conclude before the possible visit of Yoon Suk Yeol, the South Korean President, to India