17-Sep-2022: MoS Smt. Anupriya Patel attends 10th EAS EMM (East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting)
Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry attended 10th EAS EMM (East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting) today on 17th September 2022 in Siem Reap City, Cambodia. The meeting saw representation from all 10 ASEAN countries as well as 8 partner countries viz. Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and the USA.
The Ministers exchanged views on global and regional economic developments including the outcomes of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, post-pandemic economic recovery efforts, measures adopted to mitigate the impact of global supply chains disruptions and strong inflation pressure.
The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to recover and build greater economic resilience in the region by facilitating trade, investment, and secure and resilient supply chains; undertaking supportive fiscal policy measures to encourage economic growth; and ensuring that strong macroeconomic fundamentals are in place to retain sustainable growth in the region. The Ministers also noted the necessity of closer and deeper cooperation and coordination in the region to mitigate the negative economic impact on the post-pandemic recovery.
Smt. Anupriya Patel in her remarks acknowledged the pivotal role of EAS in strengthening multilateralism and promoting peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the region. She commended the ASEAN Secretariat for putting together a useful analysis of regional and global economic developments including economic developments in EAS economies which shows that India did well with highest GDP growth of 8.7% among EAS economies in 2021 and in spite of a forecast of some tapering of GDP growth in 2022 and 2023, India is set to maintain top position in GDP growth among EAS economies.
Smt. Anupriya Patel informed the meeting that despite numerous challenges & constraints, India has successfully administered more than 2 billion vaccine doses including booster doses to its citizens and is currently focused on vaccinating all eligible citizens. She reiterated India’s willingness to collaborate with East Asian partners in the production of vaccines, generic drugs and medical technologies used for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
The Ministers welcomed the successful outcomes of the Twelfth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference held on 12-17 June 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland and resolved to strengthen the rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable, and transparent multilateral trading system. Smt. Anupriya Patel while giving her views on the Ministerial Conference stated that the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) decision enabling ease of authorisation for production of patented vaccines will boost vaccine equity, accessibility and affordability and will result in faster pandemic response in future.
The Ministers noted Indonesia’s priorities for its G20 Presidency for 2022 and expressed their support for Indonesia’s Presidency under the theme “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”. Smt. Anupriya Patel congratulated Indonesia for its ongoing successful G20 Presidency and assured that India, as a member of the G20 Troika and the incoming G20 Presidency, stands in solidarity with Indonesia and supports Indonesian priorities in the G20.
Smt. Anupriya Patel reiterated India's commitment to strengthening the EAS as an ASEAN-led organisation and its support in collective actions of the EAS Forum aimed at mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and strengthening regional economic architecture.
1-Sep-2018: 6th East Asia Summit and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting held in Singapore
Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu attended the 6th East Asia Summit- Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) in Singapore. Singapore is currently holding the Chair of ASEAN.
The 6th East-Asia Economic Ministers’ Meeting was chaired by Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, and was attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries and their eight dialogue partners, Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. The Ministers welcomed the higher global economic growth forecast for 2018 and took note of the increasing importance of trade and investment relations among the EAS economies. Acknowledging the potential for disruptions in the macro-economy that could affect overall market sentiments and global growth, the EAS-EMM forum expressed the hope that the economic linkages among the EAS members will enable them to address these challenges.
The Ministers agreed to the importance of keeping markets open and fair as well as improving transparency and predictability of the business environment. The meeting recognized the importance of ongoing work to maximize the opportunities of, and address the challenges presented by, the digital economy and the rise of regional and global value chains, as part of their efforts to promote economic growth and integration in the region.
The 6th EAS–EMM was followed by the 15th ASEAN Economic Ministers - India Consultation. It was co-chaired by Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, and Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry, India. The meeting attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries took stock of the current level of trade and economic engagement between India and ASEAN and reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthen ASEAN-India economic relations. ASEAN has emerged as the second largest trade partner of India in 2017-18 with bilateral trade valued at USD 81.33 billion, comprising 10.58% of India’s total trade with the world.
ASEAN Ministers also appreciated the outcomes of the ASEAN-India Business and Investment Meet and Expo held on 22–23 January 2018 in New Delhi, that was organised soon after the 31st ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and its role in providing a platform for both government and industry leaders to exchange views and provide ideas and solutions towards sustaining the momentum of trade and investment in the region.
It was also announced in the Singapore meeting that the next ASEAN-India Business Summit will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November 2018 with the theme “Towards Building Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and India in the Era of the 4th IR and Digital Economy” which will be followed by the 4th India-ASEAN Dialogue Partner Expo and Summit scheduled for 21-23 February 2019, in New Delhi.
The ASEAN-India Business Council (AIBC) presented their recommendations to the forum to sustain the momentum of trade and investment in the region. Issues related to promoting connectivity, collaboration on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) development, blue economy, healthcare, and tourism as well as women and youth economic empowerment were discussed. The Ministers emphasized on the importance of promoting private sector activities and strengthening business-to-business relations, including through the AIBC, to further broaden and deepen ASEAN-India economic linkages.
16-Sep-2022: MoS Smt. Anupriya Patel Co-Chairs 19th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ Meeting in Siem Reap City, Cambodia
Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry along with H.E. Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, Kingdom of Cambodia co-chaired the 19th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ meeting held on 16th September 2022 in Siem Reap City, Cambodia. The Economic Ministers or their representatives from all the 10 ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam attended the meeting.
The Ministers noted that trade and economic relations between ASEAN and India are starting to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the two-way trade between ASEAN and India reached USD 91.5 billion in 2021 increasing by 39.2 per cent year-on-year. The Ministers also took note of the recommendations made by ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) to enhance the ASEAN India economic partnership and the activities undertaken by AIBC in 2022.
The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to take collective actions to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic and work towards a sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery. The Ministers welcomed ASEAN and India to forge collective actions in securing a robust supply chain connectivity to maintain the flow of essential goods and services through the launching of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Upgrade Negotiations, mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination, vaccines production, public health surveillance, and medical technologies in moving forward with the post-pandemic recovery responses and facing future health crises.
Smt. Anupriya Patel briefed the meeting about the progress made by India in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic with its current focus on vaccinating all eligible citizens and the major milestone of administration of 2 billion vaccine doses including booster doses achieved in July 2022, 18 months after the vaccination scheme started in January 2021. She also shared information on the steps taken by India in liberalising and simplifying its FDI policy resulting in the ever-increasing volumes of FDI inflows, setting new records. She invited ASEAN countries to invest in India and be partners in its success.
The Ministers welcomed the successful outcomes of the Twelfth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference held on 12-17 June 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland and reiterated their support for a rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable, and transparent multilateral trading system, as embodied in the WTO.
In a significant development, the Ministers endorsed the Scope of the Review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to make it more user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses, as well as responsive to the current global and regional challenges including supply chain disruptions. The Ministers also activated the AITIGA Joint Committee to undertake the review of AITIGA expeditiously.
Smt. Anupriya Patel reiterated India’s commitment to supporting a strong, unified and prosperous ASEAN and also to equitable and sustainable trade which balances the aspirations of both the partners.
14-Sep-2021: 18th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Consultations held
Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and H.E. Dato Dr. Amin Liew Abdullah, Minister of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam, co-chaired the 18th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultations held virtually on 14th September, 2021.
The meeting was attended by the Economic Ministers of all the 10 ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Ministers took stock of the current pandemic situation and reaffirmed their commitment to take collective actions in mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and ensuring resilient supply chains in the region. The Ministers appreciated the deepening trade and investment between ASEAN and India and the trade partners’ mutual support in combating the pandemic. India is ASEAN’s 7th largest trading partner and one of the largest sources of FDI.
Minister Smt. Anupriya Patel briefed the meeting on India’s current focus on the mass vaccination, capacity enhancements and the economic initiatives to address the pandemic challenges. She highlighted the widespread reforms undertaken by India in various sectors including agriculture, banking, insurance, logistics, corporate laws, investment regime etc. She invited ASEAN countries to invest in India in potential sectors, including health and pharmaceutical sector. Ministers also took note of the recommendations of the ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) to enhance the ASEAN India economic partnership.
The meeting actively discussed the early commencement of the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Review. The Ministers noted status of the scoping exercise of the review and resolved to complete the process expeditiously to make the agreement trade facilitative, user-friendly with contemporary and streamlined customs and regulatory procedures. Smt. Patel highlighted that the trade arrangement has to be reciprocal, mutually beneficial and should balance the aspirations of both the partners. She emphasized the need for securing the FTA provisions to prevent misuse of the preferential treatment and also highlighted the non-tariff measures faced by Indian exporters in accessing ASEAN market especially in Agriculture and auto sector. Smt. Patel suggested that both sides should make earnest efforts to finalize the Scoping Paper before the ASEAN-India Leaders’ Summit scheduled in October, 2021 and to announce the review before the end of this year. The Minister also requested ASEAN to establish Joint Committees for the Review of the India-ASEAN Services and Investment Agreements without any delay.
Minister Smt. Patel underscored the importance India attached to its economic partnership with ASEAN and the strong historical and cultural ties between the partners and assured ASEAN of India’s support in its recovery efforts in the post pandemic period.
30-Aug-2020: 17TH ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ Consultations held
Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways and H.E. Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam co-chaired the 17th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultations held virtually on 29th August 2020. The meeting was attended by the Trade Ministers of all the 10 ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to take collective actions in mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and resolved to ensure macroeconomic and financial stability and resilient supply chain connectivity, particularly the unimpeded flow of essential goods and medicines in the region, in compliance with the WTO rules.
The Ministers’ discussion centred on the review of the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA). The Ministers appreciated the growing trade ties and deepening economic engagement between two parties. The report of the ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) was placed before the Ministers. The AIBC Report has recommended that the AITIGA be reviewed for mutual benefit. The Ministers from India and ASEAN countries instructed the senior officials to start the discussions to determine the scope of the review at the earliest to, inter-alia, make the Free Trade Agreement more user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses. The review will make the Agreement modern with contemporary trade facilitative practices, and streamlined customs and regulatory procedures.
Initiating the discussion, Shri Goyal highlighted that the Free Trade Agreement has to be mutually beneficial and a win-win for all sides. Shri Goyal expressed the need to strengthen the Rules of Origin provisions, work towards removal of non-tariff barriers and provide better market access. Minister Goyal reiterated India’s consistent position that the review of the AITIGA has been inordinately delayed and requested for closer engagement towards finalization of the scoping exercise, before the ASEAN-India Leaders’ Summit scheduled in November 2020 and to start the full review before the end of this year. Minister Goyal also stated that India and ASEAN shared a close friendship, strongly tied with historical, cultural and traditional bonds and this relationship will continue to grow for the prosperity of the people of India and the ASEAN countries.
India also made suggestions to further strengthen the AIBC and the Forum agreed to consider these suggestions to deepen the economic engagement between the two parties.
14-Sep-2022: Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Shri. Bhupender Yadav, attends the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meet at Bali
Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Shri. Bhupender Yadav, attended the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting at Bali, Indonesia on 13 – 14 September 2022.
Speaking at the Ministerial session, Union Minister spoke about the importance of countries to come together for promotion of responsive and robust policies relating to employment generation, social protection, skilling and formalization, in the post pandemic period for ensuring a more resilient, equitable and sustainable recovery.
The Union Minister also commended Indonesia for selecting the priority areas which are critical in the ever changing world of work. These are, Labour Market Integration of Persons with Disabilities, Sustainable Growth and Productivity in Human Capacity Development through Strengthening Community Based Vocational Training, Promoting Entrepreneurship and Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) as a Job Creation Instrument and Adapting Labour Protection for More Effective Protection and Increased Resilience for All Workers. Union Minister also drew the attention towards the exemplary achievements of India in all these areas. He highlighted the provisions made in the social security code for providing social security to the gig and platform workers. He further emphasized that the skill development is being aligned to the need of future of work. He said that the experiences gained from this year’ G20 Employment Working Group meetings would aid India in its upcoming presidency and would contribute to our pursuit of securing labour welfare, in light of the dynamic nature of the 21st Century world of work.
Union Minister also held several bilateral meetings with Countries including Germany, Singapore, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, and Turkiye. In all these meetings, Minister briefed on our upcoming Presidency and broad priorities and sought the support of these Countries and Organizations for our goals. Need for signing of Migration and Mobility Agreement and Social Security Agreement at the earliest was highlighted for facilitating ease of mobility and for ensuring social security to the international workers.
Union Minister also attended the welcome dinner hosted by H.E. Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower, Indonesia and witnessed the Joint statement by B20 – L20, two prominent engagement groups of G20.