It said that ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) hosted the 15th AITIGA Joint Committee and related meetings to review the progress and negotiations of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia, from October 6-9.
“The next meeting of the AITIGA Joint Committee will be held in India in January 2027 in hybrid mode to review the progress made by the sub-committees and provide further guidance for the timely conclusion of the negotiations,” it said.
The India-ASEAN free trade agreement in goods was signed in 2009. ASEAN is a key trade partner of India with about 11 per cent share in India’s global trade.
It added that in the Jakarta meeting, the joint committee directed all sub-committees to expedite pending chapters under the AITIGA review, establish firm, time-bound deliverables and urge close coordination to ensure measurable progress.
In a separate agreement, addressing the Centre for Trade and Investment Law, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said established rules were being questioned, while emerging issues such as sustainability-linked trade measures and digital trade were reshaping the global trade agenda.