India working on ways to have fairer, equitable terms in trade relations: Piyush Goyal

22 Jan 2020 Evaluate

In order to have fairer and more equitable terms in trade relationships with various countries, the commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has said India is working on it. He also called for greater cooperation among various nations to realise the huge growth prospects in the Indian Ocean region and also for tackling the important issue of climate change. He added that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in its present form was clearly an unworkable agreement. Any pact needs to take into account several factors. He noted that the country is grappling with a huge trade deficit, particularly with China and many other nations in the region.

Referring to India's decision to pull out of the RCEP, Goyal said for the first time, India demonstrated that trade cannot be dictated by diplomacy. He asserted that the RCEP has had to factor in several diversities among partners, but India has serious concerns about climate change and is seeking greater cooperation on fair terms. He said ‘we are like a pivot for the Indian Ocean and we believe this region has huge potential. At the same time, India is very much concerned about the issue of climate change.’

He further said the entire grouping around the Indian Ocean will play a very important role, while keeping in mind fair and equitable distribution. India also expects greater cooperation among various nations on climate change. He said ‘we in India are also working on how to put in place more equitable terms in our trade relations with various countries.’ Besides, the Indian Ocean Rim sees two-thirds of the world's oil shipments pass through its waters and is home to half of the world's container ships that support 2.7 billion people.

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