India, Qatar may finalise FTA terms this week (Financial Express)
India and Qatar are expected to finalise the Terms of Reference for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to Doha, marking the first step toward formal free trade negotiations aimed at expanding economic ties beyond hydrocarbons. The discussions will cover a wide range of sectors including finance, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, and environment, while also addressing trade barriers and exploring ways to boost investment flows, particularly through Qatar’s $10 billion investment commitment and the planned Qatar Investment Authority office in India. Although current bilateral trade stands at $14.14 billion and remains heavily skewed in Qatar’s favour due to energy imports—mainly LNG, propane, and crude oil—the proposed CEPA is seen as a strategic effort to rebalance the relationship and diversify cooperation into non-energy domains.
Talks on proposed trade pacts with Chile, Peru in Oct, Nov (Financial Express)
India is set to restart free trade talks with Peru in early November after an 18-month break, while also advancing negotiations with Chile later this month under the India-Chile Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which expands cooperation beyond goods trade to include digital services, MSMEs, investments, and access to critical minerals. The eighth round of India-Peru FTA discussions in Lima follows growing trade ties, with India importing nearly $5 billion worth of goods—mainly gold and copper—from Peru, while exporting around $1 billion in automobiles, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. With Chile, India seeks to strengthen its economic footprint in Latin America, leveraging the CEPA to enhance trade in engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and minerals, while narrowing trade imbalances and tapping into the region’s vast resource potential.
Trade to climate: Modi, Starmer set to discuss 'Vision 2035' this week (Business Standard)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are set to meet in Mumbai this week to review the recently signed India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and their joint “Vision 2035” roadmap, which aims to deepen cooperation across trade, technology, defence, climate, and education over the next decade. The CETA provides India with near duty-free access to 99% of the UK market, benefiting labour-intensive sectors like textiles, gems, jewellery, and auto parts, while also opening doors for Indian professionals under favourable mobility provisions; in return, the UK gains tariff reductions on key exports such as whisky, automobiles, and medical devices, along with greater access to India’s growing market. Both leaders are expected to engage with industry stakeholders during the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, as the deal is projected to boost bilateral trade beyond its current $56 billion, stimulate investments, and create new employment opportunities across both economies.
