India to skip China’s Belt and Road Forum for a third time

India is boycotting China’s Belt and Road Initiative summit for the third time, citing concerns over sovereignty issues and the financial viability of Beijing’s projects. The two-day summit is being held amid criticism that the loans for unsustainable projects have led to debt traps for smaller countries. India has been critical of the China-Pakistan Economic […]

The future of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) looks uncertain as momentum for the project has tapered off in recent years. China’s overall activity in BRI countries is down about 40% from its 2018 peak, and the project faces accusations of being an irresponsible lender. The COVID-19 pandemic has further slowed down the initiative, […]

At a meeting of the committee on market access at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the US said the measure prompts its firms to think twice about doing business in India and it would impact its exports while China and Taiwan sought the purpose of this policy.

In 2022-23, India’s merchandise exports to the UK were valued at USD 11.41 billion and out of this, USD 6 billion worth of goods such as petroleum products, medicines, diamonds, machine parts, airplanes, and wooden furniture entered Britain at zero levy, it said.

Villagers along the India-Nepal border in Maharajganj are involved in smuggling rice into Nepal. Young unemployed men, women, and sometimes even the elderly act as carriers for local smugglers, delivering rice to warehouses set up across the border. Despite efforts to curb smuggling, over 111.2 tonnes of rice have been seized in the last four […]

The Indian government is considering a review of the minimum export price of basmati rice, which currently stands at USD 1,200 per tonne. Rice exporters associations have been requesting a reduction to around USD 850 per tonne. The government had previously decided not to allow exports below USD 1,200 per tonne to prevent the shipment […]

China has initiated dialogue with West Asia to align its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Turkiye’s Middle Corridor Initiative. This move comes as China is concerned about India’s growing influence in the region through projects like the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and India-Israel-USA-UAE projects. Turkiye had opposed IMEC, which aims to […]

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas poses several potential threats to the Indian economy. One major concern is the impact on oil prices, as India relies on imports for 85% of its oil needs. Higher oil prices could lead to increased import costs, fuel/fertilizer subsidies, and a weaker rupee, which would affect the country’s […]

India’s merchandise exports declined by 2.6% in September, reaching $34.5 billion. However, a 15% decrease in imports helped narrow the trade deficit to a five-month low of $19.4 billion. The government revised the export growth in August to 3.88% from an earlier reported contraction of 6.8%. Despite the decline, officials remain optimistic about positive growth […]

India and Brazil have set an “aspirational” target of increasing two-way trade to $50 billion by 2030, according to Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal. The current bilateral trade stands at $15.2 billion, and the two countries are aiming for $30 billion in the next 3-4 years. During discussions, the two sides also explored market access issues […]