Page 3 - Free Trade Agreement

India, Taiwan should consider finalising FTA very soon: Taiwanese Envoy

India and Taiwan should firm up the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) at the earliest as it will remove all barriers to trade and investment and help create a resilient supply chain, Taipei's de-facto Ambassador Baushuan Ger said. The Taiwanese representative said Taiwan is keen to share its expertise with India in critical sectors such as semiconductors, 5G, information security and artificial intelligence and that his country can be an "excellent" partner to develop India's high-tech supply chain. He said Taiwan has been actively pursuing FTA with like-minded trading partners including India and reaffirmed Taipei's focus on supporting the rules-based international order. "The signing of the FTA will further remove all trade and investment barriers and lead to a jump in bilateral trade and investment," he told PTI. "In addition, it will help attract Taiwan companies to invest in India to establish production bases, sell India-made products to the world, and help India transform

India-UK FTA may get watered down amid Braverman's remarks on visas

There are growing fears here that the proposed India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), currently in its final stages of negotiation towards a Diwali deadline, is likely to be watered down amid controversial remarks by UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman on visas. The Indian-origin Cabinet minister seems to be poised for a direct clash with British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who is keen to stick to the looming October 24 timeline for the FTA and is well aware that the ease of movement of students and professionals is crucial to India's objectives as part of a new trade deal. However, Braverman expressed reservations over what she feared would be an open borders migration policy with India under an FTA, casting doubt over the nature of the final agreement. It now appears likely that the prospective UK-India FTA under the Liz Truss government will not be as substantive nor as comprehensive as envisaged by the previous Boris Johnson government, as negotiations on key issues of ...

UK Home Secretary casts doubt on FTA over open borders with India

Britain's Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has cast doubts over a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India over the issue of migration and branded Indians as the largest group of people who overstay their visas in the UK. Expressing concerns over what she feared would be an open borders migration policy in an interview with The Spectator' on Thursday, the senior minister seemed to indicate that she would not offer Cabinet backing to a trade deal that offers India greater visa concessions. It would pitch her in a possible clash with British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who wants an FTA with India now in the final round of negotiations within the Diwali deadline set by her predecessor Boris Johnson. I have concerns about having an open borders migration policy with India because I don't think that's what people voted for with Brexit, Braverman told the British weekly news magazine. Asked about visa flexibility for students and entrepreneurs under an India-UK FTA,

Free trade agreement with India won't be 'free-for-all deal': UK minister

The free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated with India won't be a "free for all deal" but something that is good for both countries and not a particular sector, the UK government cautioned on Tuesday as a Diwali deadline set at the prime ministerial level for the pact approaches. UK Secretary of State for International Trade Kemi Badenoch, who is in charge of the FTA negotiations under the Prime Liz Truss led government, was addressing concerns around access for the country's services sector into the Indian market at the Conservative Party annual conference in Birmingham. The senior Cabinet minister also indicated that the Diwali timeline set by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was not "arbitrary" and could be met with further aspects covered beyond that deadline. "We want something comprehensive, but it has to be right for both countries," said Badenoch. "The Prime Minister has a deadline, which the previous Prime Minister had. That was quite a long deadline, so it's not ..

FTA talks in final phase with Diwali deadline in sight: London Lord Mayor

The free trade agreement (FTA) talks between India and the UK are now in their final phase and despite some outstanding issues to be resolved, there is optimism on both sides that the Diwali deadline for a draft will be met, according to the Lord Mayor of London. Vincent Keaveny, the 693rd Lord Mayor who represents the financial hub of the City of London globally, has just returned from a four-day visit to India following meetings with leading Indian businesses and investors and finance chiefs at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI). As London's ambassador for financial and professional services, the Lord Mayor's visit was aimed at strengthening India-UK financial services links, building strong and sustainable two-way capital flows. It was a really good time to be in India with the FTA negotiations entering into their final phase, Keaveny told PTI. Prime Minister Modi has made it clear that he wants to sign the FTA by Diwali. There are some

New Zealand seeks trade with India outside FTA, milk: Damien O'Connor

'We are very big in wood logs, which is among the single biggest items of export to India'

Keen to upgrade free-trade deal with India, says Sri Lanka President

Sri Lanka is keen to upgrade the Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement into a comprehensive economic and technological partnership, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday, asserting that the work which started in 2018 and 2019 has not found much progress. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Sri Lanka was the first-ever bilateral trade agreement for both countries, signed in 1998 and enforced in 2000. The pact is aimed at further boosting the economic ties between the two countries by liberalising trade norms. "Sri Lanka and India gradually have to wean themselves out of the barriers to investment and the non-tariff barriers to trade especially in relation to Sri Lanka Indo economic relations, Wickremesinghe said while addressing a gathering of the Sri Lanka-India Society to mark the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. He said the future relations of India with its neighbours will be determined by trade integration. "Trade integration gives an economic base. The .

India's non-petroleum exports to UAE underperform after FTA, shows data

In comparison, India's overall non-petroleum exports grew 8 per cent during May-July while overall exports grew 15.1 per cent during the same period

Diwali deadline for India-UK trade pact not to be missed: Commerce secy

Negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement between India and the UK are at the last stage and the deadline of Diwali (in October) would not be missed, commerce secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said on Saturday. In April, both sides had set the Diwali deadline for the conclusion of an India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). "We are on track (to meet the deadline). We are in the last stages. 19 out of 26 chapters are closed. There are a couple of areas where we are negotiating Diwali deadline is not going to be missed," he told reporters here. Talks are happening on certain goods like cars and spirits from the UK side and certain products from the Indian side. In January, both countries formally launched talks for a free trade agreement to boost bilateral trade and investments. In such pacts, two countries either eliminate or significantly reduce customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them besides easing norms for promoting investments and services trade. Ind

EU wants India to prohibit 'discriminatory buy national practices': Report

India's Make in India and Atmanirbhar initiatives aim to favour domestic manufacturing and discourage imports, the European Union said

India-UK trade likely to double by 2030: Grant Thornton-CII report

The UK is likely to look at reducing tariffs on products such as apples, UK-manufactured medical devices and machinery

India, Australia may begin comprehensive FTA talks from next month

Both nations had signed an interim free trade deal - Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) - in April

No indication about Johnson resignation's impact on India-UK FTA talks

There are no immediate indications about the impact of the recent political developments in Britain on the advanced India-UK negotiations for a free trade agreement, an official said

UK politics likely to push back FTA talks with India beyond Diwali

Keen to set its own economic course after Brexit, the UK was eager to quickly finalise a trade deal with India

Financial services an exciting aspect of UK-India FTA, says Rishi Sunak

The financial services sector holds out an exciting prospect of closer exchange between India and the UK with a free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated between the two countries, says Rishi Sunak

FTAs with UK, EU to open new opportunities for domestic exporters: FIEO

The proposed free trade agreements (FTAs), including with the UK, European Union and GCC would open new opportunities to boost India's exports in these markets, FIEO President A Sakthivel said

Boris Johnson hails India-UK free trade agreement as 'biggest of them all'

Johnson and PM Narendra Modi during UK PM's visit had announced that the negotiating teams on both sides must work towards a Diwali timeline for the completion of a draft free trade agreement.

India, EU resume talks for free trade agreement after more than 8 years

India and the European Union (EU) finally restarted the negotiations for the long-pending trade and investment agreement on Friday after a gap of over eight years

India, EU look to make a fresh start for a trade deal in Brussels

The launch of fresh negotiations with the EU comes close on the heels of India signing two trade deals, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia

India, France hope India-EU trade pact to conclude before 2024

India and the EU (European Union) bloc are due to reopen FTA (Free Trade Agreement) talks in Brussels on June 17, the commerce ministry said in a statement