India pushing services and investment deal with Asean

India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) will hold a detailed review of the agreement on services and investment on 26-27 August 2010, ahead of the ensuing Asean-India summit at Hanoi in October 2010.

Commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma is leading an official delegation to Vietnam to review the India-Asean services and investment negotiations along with his Asean counterparts during 26-27 August 2010.

The minister is also slated to meet trade ministers of the larger East Asia Summit (EAS) grouping during this visit. EAS is a formation of ten Asean countries and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

Sharma is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and the European Union on the sidelines of the Asean economy ministers meeting.

Sharma is scheduled to hold discussions with the trade and commerce ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam at the Asean economic ministers' `India consultations' scheduled for 27 August 2010 at Danang in Vietnam. These consultations will form the ministerial-level preparations for the ensuing Asean-India summit at Hanoi in October 2010.

A `Trade in Goods Agreement' between India and the Asean that covers tariff liberalisation between the parties has come into force from 1 January 2010.

India is keen to conclude a liberal agreement that would have substantial sectoral coverage and would provide commercially meaning market access. The current meeting is part of the negotiation process.