India hosted the 13th ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee and related meetings at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, from July 6 to 10, 2026, in a hybrid format to review the progress of negotiations under the AITIGA Review. The meetings included three of the eight Sub-Committees: Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (SC-CPTF), Sub-Committee on National Treatment and Market Access (SC-NTMA), and Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin (SC-ROO).
The Joint Committee, held on July 7, 2026, was co-chaired by Additional Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Nitin Kumar Yadav, and Deputy Secretary General (Trade) of Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ms. Mastura Ahmad Mustafa. Delegations from all ten ASEAN Member States participated: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
The committee provided strategic guidance to the Sub-Committees and urged them to expedite the finalization of outstanding chapters under the AITIGA Review. To maintain negotiation momentum, the Sub-Committees were assigned time-bound deliverables and encouraged to work closely toward achieving tangible outcomes within agreed timelines.
The document highlights ASEAN's significance as one of India's key trading partners, accounting for approximately 11% of India's global trade. Bilateral trade between India and ASEAN reached USD 128 billion during the 2025–26 period, reflecting the strong economic partnership and providing further opportunities to expand trade and investment cooperation.