India hosted the 8th meeting of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee from April 7 to 11, 2025, at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.  

Key Highlights:

• The primary aim was to advance the ongoing review of AITIGA, focusing on modernizing the agreement to make it more effective, user-friendly, and conducive to trade.
• The event, conducted in a hybrid format, was co-chaired by Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India, and Dr. Sugumari S. Shanmugam, Senior Director, Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia.
• Delegates from all ten ASEAN countries—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam participated in the meeting.
• Five out of eight Sub-Committees under the AITIGA Joint Committee held hybrid meetings alongside the main event.
• Four Sub-Committees - Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (SC-CPTF), Economic & Technical Cooperation (SC-ETC), National Treatment and Market Access (SC-NTMA), and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SC-SPS) met in New Delhi.
• The Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin (SC-ROO) convened in Jakarta, Indonesia. These meetings facilitated progress in textual discussions and groundwork for tariff negotiations.
• Trade Significance: ASEAN remains a pivotal trade partner for India, accounting for approximately 11% of India's global trade. In the fiscal year 2023-24, bilateral trade between India and ASEAN reached USD 121 billion.

This meeting underscores India's commitment to strengthening trade relations with ASEAN countries and modernizing existing trade agreements to reflect current economic realities.