August 29, 2025 | 00:09 (GMT+7)
Vietnam pushes for swift upgrade to ASEAN - India trade deal
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan has underscored India’s importance to Southeast Asia, reaffirming wish for an early conclusion to negotiations on reviewing and upgrading the ASEAN - India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) .
Addressing the special ASEAN Economic Ministers’ meeting on the AITIGA review on August 28, Deputy Minister Tan, who led a Vietnamese delegation comprising representatives from the ministries of industry and trade, finance, and science and technology, stressed that the revised deal would bolster economic ties and facilitate trade and business between the two sides.
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ASEAN - India trade reached 106.9 billion USD in 2024. (Photo for illustration) |
The virtual meeting was chaired by Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz and attended by ASEAN economy ministers and Deputy Secretary-General Satvinder Singh.
The head of the joint negotiating committee outlined ongoing progress, unresolved issues, and proposals to expedite negotiations. Ministers reiterated their goal of concluding the review and upgrade negotiations in 2025. The meeting also set stage for a series of ASEAN Economic Ministers’ meetings and related events set for late September 2025.
ASEAN - India trade reached 106.9 billion USD in 2024, a 6.05% increase from the previous year, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade. ASEAN exports to India grew 7.6% to 70.8 billion USD, while imports from India climbed 3.4% to 36.1 billion USD.
Vietnam-India trade clocked in at 14.9 billion USD in 2024, a 4.5% bump year-on-year. Vietnam’s exports to India soared 7.6% to 9.06 billion USD, while imports dipped slightly by 0.6% to 5.83 billion USD.
Source: VNA