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According to official updates from the commerce ministry, the country has accelerated discussions on free trade agreements (FTAs) with key partners across multiple regions.
The country is actively negotiating trade agreements with nearly a dozen countries, including the United States, European Union, Australia, Sri Lanka and several others, in a bid to expand trade and secure long-term growth opportunities. With the United States (US), five rounds of negotiations have taken place. Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch is coming to India tonight and will continue talks for a Bilateral Trade Agreement with the Indian counterpart, a government official said. US-India trade talks will he held on Tuesday, the official said. India's chief negotiator and Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce is Rajesh Agrawal. Proposed last round of talks with US between August 25-29 was postponed. According to a government official, bilateral trade agreement talks with the US are ongoing at various levels, including diplomatic, trade ministers and chief negotiators and several trade and non-trade issues are being discussed. Among the most significant is the India-EU FTA, where comprehensive negotiations are underway. The 13th round of talks between Indian and European negotiators took place from September 8 to 12, 2025, encompassing 75 technical sessions across various sectors, including agriculture, digital trade, market access, and intellectual property rights. EU Trade Commissioner and the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food were in India on September 11-12 and held detailed meetings with senior Indian officials. The 14th round of negotiations is scheduled in Brussels from October 6-10, 2025. With Australia, India is working to expand the scope of the already-concluded Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) towards a comprehensive FTA. Eleven formal rounds and various inter-sessional discussions have taken place. The last round happened in August. The country is also in talks for bilateral trade agreements with countries like New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Oman, Chile, Korea and Peru. With Sri Lanka, 14 rounds of talks have taken place, the latest was in July. With Oman after 5 round of talks, negotiations have completed and chapters have been finalised for final agreement. With Peru, 9th round of negotiations is proposed in November, and with Chile 4th round of talks is proposed in October. With Korea to upgrade the CEPA, so far 11 round of talks have taken place, last round being held in July. The coming months are expected to be critical, when the outcomes of these negotiations could redefine India's role in the global trade architecture and shape its economic trajectory for the next decade. (ANI)
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