The direction came at the 15th AITIGA Joint Committee and related meetings, hosted by ASEAN at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, from October 6 to 9, 2026. The meetings reviewed progress and negotiations under AITIGA and were held in hybrid format alongside sub-committee meetings.
ASEAN hosted the 15th AITIGA Joint Committee in Jakarta from October 6-9, where India and ASEAN reviewed negotiations on the trade-in-goods pact and directed sub-committees to accelerate pending review chapters.
Three of eight sub-committees met on legal issues, market access and rules of origin.
The next hybrid Joint Committee meeting is due in India in January 2027.
The meeting was co-chaired by Nitin Kumar Yadav, additional secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India, and Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, deputy secretary general (trade), Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia. Delegates represented ASEAN countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The meetings served as a forum to deepen collaboration, enhance mutual understanding and sustain dialogue between the two sides, according to the ministry.
India and ASEAN reaffirmed their shared commitment to a balanced, constructive and forward-looking agreement. Both sides underscored their commitment to resolving outstanding policy issues, deepening economic integration and modernising AITIGA into a mutually beneficial framework that strengthens bilateral trade.
The next AITIGA Joint Committee meeting will be held in India in January 2027 in hybrid mode to review progress made by the sub-committees and provide further guidance for the timely conclusion of negotiations.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (MS)
