India lodged bilateral protest with Thailand before raising issue in WTO

India has lodged a diplomatic protest with Thailand over comments made by the Thai ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Pimchanok Vonkorpon Pitfield, about India’s rice procurement programme. Pitfield’s comments were described as “loose and made without adequate understanding” and led to her replacement by her government. Thailand swiftly replaced Pitfield, a development that came […]

Diamond houses in India are facing scrutiny under the new sanctions regime that began on March 1 to block Russian gems from affluent western markets. The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has circulated guidelines and formats of self-declarations that diamond firms shipping to the US and EU must share with their buyers to […]

CII President R Dinesh believes the ambitious USD 100 billion non-oil trade target between India and the UAE by 2030 is achievable. The 2022 free trade agreement has already spurred significant bilateral trade and investments, with the UAE now India’s top non-oil trading partner. The comprehensive pact covers various sectors, fostering growth, and facilitating global […]

India’s move to block a China-led investment facilitation pact at the WTO ministerial meeting promotes multilateral agreements. The agreement aimed to create legally binding provisions for investment flows but compromised member countries’ sovereignty. India’s principled stand safeguards sovereignty and global peace, opposing the push for a multilateral framework on investment facilitation.

Nepal’s Ambassador to India, Shankar Sharma, praised the Reserve Bank of India’s new guidelines enabling multiple financial services between India and Nepal. Nepali citizens can now send Rs 2 lakh per transaction to Nepal, while walk-in customers can remit Rs 50,000 per transaction. The upcoming Unified Payment Interface-Nepal Clearing House Ltd will further eliminate the […]

Since the process has not yet been completed, we believe that it is in the best interest that we continue this ecommerce moratorium and ensure that if at all it is found to be necessary, there will be discussions at Geneva to see if there are any areas particularly which need to be covered under […]

Despite extended talks, WTO negotiators in Abu Dhabi failed to reach agreements on major reforms. They did agree to extend a moratorium on tariffs on digital goods until the next ministerial conference, but discussions on e-commerce were stalled by countries like India and South Africa. Disagreements also persisted on dispute settlement, with the WTO’s top […]

The meeting of the highest decision-making body of the WTO, which was supposed to conclude on Thursday, entered the fifth day on Friday with key members, including India, the US and EU, holding talks to iron out differences on issues such as agriculture, fisheries subsidies, WTO reforms and duty moratorium on e-commerce trade.

The 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi concluded without a decision on a permanent solution for public stockholding of food. The conference also failed to reach a consensus on fishery subsidies. However, the WTO extended the moratorium on e-commerce transmissions by two years. Despite efforts to resolve differences on […]

Union Minister Piyush Goyal hailed India’s successful navigation of critical issues at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference, ensuring the protection of farmers and fishermen. Goyal emphasized that India achieved its expected outcomes, safeguarding these sectors from harm. He expressed satisfaction with the conference’s outcomes, highlighting the welcoming of two new member countries. Goyal also stressed […]