India’s resolve to get closer to Asean countries is faltering at the altar. After signing a free trade agreement on goods with Asean, a similar pact on trade in services and investment — unarguably India’s strong suit — still eludes the country. Marked by public squabbling between ministries, it is quite likely that the final agreement will be signed only after elections.Make that one year from now. Once the new government takes over, it will be another six-seven months before it can sink its teeth into bilateral trade deals. This is tragic because while India has an advantage in services, India’s existing trade balance with Asean is negative.
Time we pushed Asean pact on services
The Hindu BusinessLine published an article by Rajrishi Singhal, Senior Geoeconomics Fellow at Gateway House on the urgent need to push for an Asean pact on trade in services and investment