ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA)

The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) meeting from November 15-22 in Delhi marked a step forward in reviewing bilateral trade. Participants from India and 10 ASEAN nations discussed tariffs, rules of origin, and market access. India, which has seen disproportionate trade benefits favoring ASEAN, seeks to reduce tariffs on 76.4% of goods and strengthen rules to prevent circumvention. Recent ASEAN-India meetings in Vientiane called for expediting the AITIGA review by 2025. Stricter origin rules and balanced commitments are essential for fair trade, as ASEAN-India trade stood at 0.86 billion in 2023-24.