On February 20, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a statement saying that the 3rd meeting of the Joint Committee on the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement was held in India from February 16-19, during which detailed discussions took place on the negotiation process to upgrade this agreement.

The meeting was held at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, under the co-chairmanship of the Ministry of Commerce of India and the Ministry of Commerce of Malaysia. Delegates from ASEAN countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam participated in the meeting.

Delegates attending the ASEAN-India negotiation session (Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India)

The ATIGA Agreement was signed in 2009. In September 2022, both sides tasked the ATIGA Joint Committee to conduct a review to make the Agreement more trade-facilitating and mutually beneficial. A total of eight sub-committees have been established under the ATIGA Joint Committee to conduct negotiations on various policy areas related to the Agreement.

The first two meetings of the Joint Committee were held in May and August 2023. The Joint Committee, in its third meeting, held detailed discussions and reviewed the progress of the negotiations. The sub-committees reported on the progress and outcomes of their discussions on market access, rules of origin and standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Following intensive discussions, the Joint Committee outlined key areas for further discussion and updated the work programme for review, and provided the necessary guidance to the sub-committees for conducting the negotiations.

India-ASEAN trade has increased to $131.58 billion in 2022-23, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India said. The review of ATIGA will facilitate further expansion of trade between India and ASEAN in a balanced and sustainable manner. Both sides aim to complete the review and conclude negotiations for upgrading the agreement by 2025. The 4th meeting of the ATIGA Joint Committee is scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May 2024.