13th ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA)

Context

India hosted the 13th ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee meeting in New Delhi. The purpose of the meeting is to accelerate the current review process of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that would make the agreement more business friendly, streamline trade processes and enhance the resilience of the supply chain in the region. 

Background: AITIGA

• Inception: The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) is a comprehensive free trade pact signed on August 13, 2009. It entered into force on 1st January 2010, thereby connecting India’s economy with that of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries. 
• Coverage: It sets a legal basis to effectively reduce or eliminate import taxes on thousands of products, with the ultimate goal of strengthening economic integration in the region. 

13th AITIGA Joint Committee Meeting Overview

• Gather Place & Format: Virtual and Hybrid in Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi with a large participation base. 
• Delegates: Delegates from the ten ASEAN member countries attended the meeting, co-chaired by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia. 
• Key Focus: The Joint Committee provided strategic guidance to eight sub-committees. It ordered negotiators to speed up pending review chapters by setting specific and time-bound tasks. 

Sideline Sub-Committee Meetings

In addition, three important sub-committee meetings were held with the 13th Joint Committee: 

• SC-CPTF (Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation): Focuses on customs procedures and trade facilitation. 
• Sub-Committee on National Treatment and Market Access (SC-NTMA): Works on equitable treatment of foreign goods and enhancing market access in general. 
• SC-ROO (Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin): Addresses rules governing the “nationality” of a product to ensure that the trade concession is not abused by third-party countries. 

Significance of the AITIGA Review

• Trade Volume: ASEAN is one of the key economic partners accounting for around 11% of India’s trade with the world. In 2025-26, bilateral trade amounted to USD 128 billion.
• Economic Resilience: The review will aim to update the 2010 agreement to be more balanced, equitable and mutually beneficial.
• Strategic Alignment: AITIGA directly aligns with the Government of India’s Act East Policy aimed at enhancing India’s economic presence in the Indo Pacific region with robust supply chains.

Source: IBEF

UPSC Prelims Practice Question 

Q. With reference to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), consider the following statements:

1. ASEAN was established through the Bangkok Declaration.
2. All ASEAN member states have a coastline.
3. ASEAN Secretariat is located in Jakarta.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 3 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

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