Sub-Committees to expedite pending chapters under AITIGA Review
India and ASEAN have reaffirmed commitment to resolve outstanding policy issues, deepen economic integration, and modernize the Agreement into a mutually beneficial framework that strengthens bilateral trade under the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA).
High level trade representatives from both sides also reviewed the progress and negotiations during the AITIGA meeting held in Jakarta 6th to 9th October 2026. Conducted in a hybrid format, the meeting was co-chaired by Nitin Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, Deputy Secretary General (Trade), Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry, Malaysia.
The meeting saw participation from delegates representing ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Three out of eight Sub-Committees (SCs) under the AITIGA Joint Committees also held hybrid meetings on the sidelines of the 15th AITIGA JC, namely the Sub-Committee on Legal and Institutional Issues (SC-LII), the Sub-Committee on National Treatment on Market Access (SC-NTMA), and the Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin (SC-ROO).
The meetings provided a valuable forum to deepen collaboration, enhance mutual understanding, and sustain constructive dialogue between both sides, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on 9 Oct.
The Joint Committee (JC) directed all Sub-Committees to expedite pending chapters under the AITIGA Review, establishing firm, time-bound deliverables and urging close coordination to ensure measurable progress.
The next meeting of the AITIGA Joint Committee will be held in January 2027 in India in hybrid mode to review the progress made by the Sub-Committees and provide further guidance for the timely conclusion of the negotiations. Fiinews.com
