August 16, 2025

Big news from the trade world! The next round of talks to review the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) is scheduled for October 6-7 in Jakarta, India’s government announced on Friday. This follows the big tenth round of talks held in New Delhi from August 10-14, where delegates worked hard to make the trade deal even stronger and easier to use. The commerce and industry ministry said the Joint Committee aimed to enhance effectiveness, accessibility, and how smoothly trade happens under AITIGA. They built on progress from eight earlier negotiation rounds! All 10 ASEAN member countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — took part. Why is this important? Because ASEAN makes up about 11% of India’s entire global trade! In fiscal year 2025, bilateral trade between India and ASEAN hit a whopping $123 billion. That’s a huge number showing how tightly connected these economies have become. The ministry said this growing business opens up juicy chances for even more teamwork in the coming years. Meanwhile, there’s sizzling action between India and Singapore. In a separate update, the commerce ministry revealed that India and Singapore met again on August 14 in New Delhi at the fourth session of the India-Singapore Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment (JWGTI). They dived into their growing partnerships in hot areas like the semiconductor industry and digital trade systems. Plus, they explored ways to beef up skills training and build capacity. The talks zoomed in on syncing priority sectors, making supply chains and logistics more efficient, simplifying rules, and finding fresh routes to speed up cross-border trade. Here’s why Singapore shines bright for India: It’s India’s biggest trading buddy inside the ASEAN group, with $34.26 billion in trade during FY25 alone. Even more impressively, Singapore ranks as India’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment, pouring in $163.85 billion in equity from April 2000 to July 2024. That’s nearly a quarter (24%) of all foreign investment that India has attracted! In short, the ASEAN-India trade talks are sizzling with promise, turbocharging ties and unlocking fresh opportunities. And with Singapore leading the way in trade and investment, India's regional relationships are sparkling with new energy. Watch this space as October’s Jakarta talks aim to light up the economic fireworks even more!

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Tags: Asean india trade, Aitiga, India singapore partnership, Bilateral trade, Semiconductor sector, Investment,