Sitharaman cancels Myanmar trip at last moment citing launch of Modi's Jan Dhan Yojana.
Days ahead of India-EU annual summit, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday said a few ends are yet to be stitched for concluding the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two sides.
India is in talks with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to conclude a free trade agreement and a framework agreement for the FTA has already been signed, a leading Indian banker in the region has said.
In an address at a leading think-tank in Paris, Shringla mentioned two recent terrorist incidents in France, one of which he said had its origins in Pakistan, noting that the civilised world needs to act with firmness to address the threat of terrorism.
The agreement provides for extensive cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector including in research and development for peaceful uses of nuclear energy, they said.
According to a senior commerce department official, talks between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) - the 10-country trading bloc - have hit a roadblock, with some of the advanced developing countries demanding greater flexibilities from India.
The inter-ministerial committee will coordinate investigation against Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
We welcome all companies from India to come and invest and do business there. We have almost no restrictions in any sector at all. However, we expect similar reciprocity in India for our apples, pistachios, helicopters, and disaster relief materials, besides other products. We do not restrict such items from entering the US markets.
With large FDIs moving to Africa, India should focus on more than just development aid to build sustainable ties with the continent. The African continent has been clearly recognised as the next big market for trade and investment globally.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is very much aligned with the foreign policy priorities of the Modi 2.0 government, says Sana Hashmi.
Goyal was to visit Beijing from August 2 to 3 to take part in the RCEP Intersessional Ministerial meet.
'We don't need to hinge India-UK relations on shared hostility toward China,' observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Two Indian women figure among scores of foreign nationals with Swiss bank accounts, whose names have been made public by Switzerland in its official gazette for being probed in their respective countries.
Chinese manufacturers are re-routing their products through the markets of other countries that India has Free Trade Agreements with.
India will be able to bag extra orders worth $three billion for garment exports from the European Union, if the country enters into a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, apparel exports body said on Monday.
The South Asian nations could script a new history of cooperation and prosperity that could serve as an example for other nations, notes Dr Rahul Mishra.
Sources said China was forcefully pushing for inking the deal during the RCEP summit later in the day, which was seen as an attempt to counter-balance the impact of its lingering trade war with the US as well as to project the region's economic might to the West.
The agenda prepared by ministers will be discussed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other RCEP leaders in Nonthaburi, a city north of Bangkok, on November 4, the official deadline to close talks.
India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed an FTA in goods in August last year and are engaged in intense negotiations to expand this pact to include services and investments.
The Indo-Asean FTA provides an opportunity for India to be more engaged with the region, says Sanjaya Baru.
"Negotiations on the FTA will be commencing shortly. We believe that we will be able to conclude the EFTA trade agreement within one year," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath told reporters in New Delhi after meeting Swiss Federal Counsellor Doris Leuthard. EFTA states include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It is an inter-governmental organisation to promote free trade and economic integration between the four nations.
India can become one of the world's automotive export hubs of the 21st century.
"Foreign tourist arrivals have increased considerably in the recent years from about 3.46 million in 2004 to 5.08 million in 2007. During January and July 2008, the FTA was around 3.14 million as compared to 2.38 million during the corresponding period of previous year," Prabhakar Dubey, director in the ministry, said at a conference in Shillong. Along with FTAs, the number of domestic tourists have also risen from 366 million in 2004 to 526 million last year.
Surjewala said the party's 10-day agitation was formalised at a meeting in which Rahul Gandhi participated in, but neither he nor Sonia Gandhi would be participating in the state and district level programmes.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said Saturday's incident along the LoC was an outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "flip-flops and somersaults" on Pakistan.
Why there is a sudden spurt in FTAs is something which needs to be critically looked at.
Beijing wants assurance that its investments won't come under scrutiny
Bilateral trade between India and Thailand was expected to touch $10 billion in the next three years from the current $3.4 billion, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trade of Thailand Somkiat Anuras said on Monday.
Chinese alumina refining and metal smelting technologies have emerged as a match for the best anywhere in the world. In fact, Vedanta and Hindalco have bought technologies from China. Our aluminium makers will be haunted by twin fears of rising imports and low metal prices squeezing margins over a long time.
Freer movement of Indian professionals in 25 European Union member countries is likely to be a reality in the near future, as this will be a key point of negotiations in the proposed Free Trade Agreement with EU.
Taiwan said on Friday it is looking at the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement with India as part of initiatives to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion in the next few years from $2.4 billion in 2004.
For many years now, India has given the Commonwealth short shrift so its support for the Commonwealth trade initiative signals a renewed interest in the body.
Mr Modi has indicated he will carry on, and intensify, India's 'Look East' policy. But this start is hardly inspiring.
Indian companies feel it will be difficult to take on the competition from Bangladesh, Cambodia and others, with their made-in-India products. Ethiopia offers ready-to-use sheds, income tax breaks, training subsidies, and a tax-free gateway into the US, Europe and China. Moreover, labour is available for $60 per month compared to $130-$150 in India.
Bangladesh said on Tuesday that India should fulfill certain conditions like duty free access for 118 items and removal of non-tariff restrictions, before it can start talks on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will propose to establish the world's biggest Free Trade Area between China and India during his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next week.
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