A general view of the ASEAN conference after the Ministerial Conference with India at the 58th Association of Nations Southeast Asia (ASEAN) of Foreign Ministers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10 July 2025. Photo Credit: Reuters
Given that the Indian braces for the impact of US tariffs of 25%that came into force from August 7, the government is trying to strengthen further trade negotiations, including ASEAN countries that start on Monday (August 11, 2025) in Nový Delhi.
Delegation ASEAN S 10 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be interviewed with officials of the Ministry of Commerce from 11 to 14 August, the sources confirmed that the next round of interviews on the review of Asean-India trade agreement (Aitiga). Interviews come two months after the Minister of Commerce and Industrial Section Piyush Goyal called the 2009 agreement “stupid” because it provided Indian Asian competitors easy access to its markets, led to speculation that India was planning to exclude an agreement. The comment also caused some outrage among ASEAN members because it referred to them as the “B-team team of China”, referring to concerns of India about Chinese goods that flood the market through these countries.
In July, however, after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs the ASEAN summit this year, as well as the meeting between Mr. Goyal and the Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Tzafrul Aziz, both parties agreed to “rapid” Aitiga at the end of this year. In addition, officials at the end of October are preparing to visit Mr. Modi to Kual Lumpur at the Summit Asan-India and the Summit of East Asia. On Friday, Mr. Ibrahim announced that “looking forward to welcome” and partners of ASEAN and partners of dialogue, including the President of the United States Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, although China usually participates in the premiere level.
Introducing Aitiga’s reviews, among many other negotiations on the trade agreement that the government monitors with the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, was given another initiative of 25% of other fines in India last week. Although the government still hopes to continue negotiations with the US on free trade agreement, it studies the impact of tariffs, especially because its export rivals in Asia, especially ASEAN, have gained lower rates from the US, approximately 19%.
Government sources and diplomats ASEAN said that although nine rounds of interviews in the past year with ASEAN officials have not yet created a breakthrough, this week they hope for some movement.
“So far, there has been very little progress in a review of ASEAN. We are trying to deal with the fact that, according to the current agreement, our imports have come to these countries far above our exports. They must have a lot of balance,” Hindu said.
Data with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows that business balance between India and ASEAN grouping has become increasingly unfavorable to India over the years. In 2017–2018, the oldest year for which the Ministry provided data, Indian exports to ASEAN countries were $ 34.2 billion, while imports from ASEAN were $ 47.1 billion, led to a business deficit of $ 12.9 billion. Since 2024-25, Indian exports to ASEAN countries grew an average annual rate of 1.7%to $ 39 billion. Imports, on the other hand, increased by an average of 7.5% to $ 84.2 billion by 2024-25. Last year, the trade deficit increased to $ 45.2 billion. In addition to the problem of “rules of origin” against Chinese goods, India, India has also increased the inequality in tariff lines, where India opened about 71% of its lines, while the country ASEAN offered significantly less, including Indonesia at only 41%.
ASEAN countries include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam also made an effort to regional complex economic partnerships (RCEP), 15-nancing FTA, from which India was published in 2019.
Published – August 10, 2025 20:11 is
