India is actively pursuing the upgrade of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) and advancing negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with Australia, according to senior Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials speaking at a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming three-nation visit.
AITIGA Review Multilateral Process
Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East) in the MEA, said that the AITIGA review is a multilateral process involving all ten ASEAN member states. The original agreement provides for different levels of tariff concessions by participating countries, and the ongoing review aims to further liberalise trade on both sides.
"It's a multilateral agreement, so it requires all ASEAN countries together. We of course discussed with all our ASEAN partners about the importance of upgrading, reviewing the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement, which is a very old agreement and probably does not reflect the structures of the economies either in India or in ASEAN."
Tandon noted that continuous conversations are held with all significant economies in the ASEAN region because their participation will be critical in advancing the review. He added that India is also pursuing bilateral upgradation of ties simultaneously.
CECA with Australia Advances
Vishwesh Negi, also speaking at the briefing, said that India and Australia are working towards concluding a balanced Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). The negotiations are being handled by the Ministry of Commerce.
"Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement. Now the effort on the two sides is to finalise a balanced, comprehensive economic cooperation agreement. This is being finalised and negotiated by the Ministry of Commerce."
PM Modi's Three-Nation Visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Indonesia on July 8-9, 2026, to review the bilateral partnership. He will then visit Australia on July 10 for the third India-Australia Annual Summit. The final leg will be New Zealand on July 11, making Modi the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country in forty years.
| Country | Date | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | July 8-9 | Review bilateral partnership |
| Australia | July 10 | Third India-Australia Annual Summit |
| New Zealand | July 11 | First Indian PM visit in 40 years |
The visit underscores India's efforts to strengthen economic cooperation with key partners in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, as it advances both multilateral and bilateral trade agreements.
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