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Trade Policy Review Body    
 
* In Original language only/ En langue originale seulement /En el idioma original solamente . 
  
INDIA 
DRAFT MINUTES  OF THE MEETING* HELD ON 6 AND 8 JANUARY 2021  
Delegations are invited to submit factual corrections, if any, on their own statement to the 
Secretariat ( Mrs Barbara Blanquart: barbara.blanquart@wto.org , or to  tprd@wto.org ) no later 
than 11 February 2021 . 
 
Organe d'examen des politiques commerciales  
 
INDE 
PROJET DE COMPTE RENDU DE LA RÉUNION* TENUE LES 6 ET 8 JANVIER 2021  
Les délégations sont invitées à soumettre  leurs éventuelles corrections factuelles concernant leurs 
propres déclarations au Secrétariat ( Mme Barbara Blanquart: barbara.blanquar t@wto.org , ou 
tprd@wto.org ) le 11 février 2021  au plus tard.  
 
Órgano de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales  
 
INDIA 
PROYECTO DE ACTA DE LA REUNIÓN* CELEBRADA LOS DÍAS 6 Y 8 DE ENERO DE 2021  
Las delegaciones pueden enviar a la Secretaría (Sr a. Barbara Blanquart: 
barbara.blanquart@wto.org , o tprd@wto.org ) a más tardar el 11 de febrero de 2021  las 
correcciones fácticas que deseen introducir en sus propias declaraciones.  
 
_______________  
 
  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  TRADE POLICY REVIEW  
 
INDIA 
DRAFT  MINUTES OF THE MEETING  
Chairperson: H.E. Mr. Harald Aspelund (Iceland)  
CONTENTS  
 
1   INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON  ................................ .....................  3 
2   OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIA  ................................ ....... 5 
3   STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT  ................................ ................................ ............  10 
4   STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS  ................................ ................................ .......................  13 
5   REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIA AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ...........  69 
6   CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON  ................................ .......................  75 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note: Advance written questions and additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies provided 
by India are reproduced in document WT/TPR/M/403/Add.1 and will be available online at 
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON  
1.1.  The seventh Trade Policy Review of India was held on 6 and 8 January 2021. The Chairperson, 
H.E. Mr. Harald Aspelund (Iceland), welcomed the delegation of India, headed by Mr. Anup 
Wadhawan, Commerce Secretary; H.E. Ambassador Mr. Brajendra Navnit, Permane nt 
Representative of the Republic of India to the WTO; the rest of the delegation from New Delhi; and 
the discussant H.E. Ambassador Ms. Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Thailand).  
1.2.  The Chairperson was pleased that, in addition to physical presence, the meeting also benefited 
from the Interprefy online connection, allowing for a wider participation of the Membership, in 
particular of officials who could not make the journey from India given the current circumstances.  
1.3.  The Chairperson recalled the purpose of TPRs and t he main elements of procedures for the 
meeting. The report by India is contained in document WT/TPR/G/403, and that of the WTO 
Secretariat in document WT/TPR/S/403.  
1.4.  Questions by the following delegations were submitted in writing before the deadline: Canad a; 
Australia; New Zealand; Oman; Hong Kong, China; Republic of Korea; Japan; United States; 
Norway; Chile; Chinese Taipei; Ukraine; Brazil; Colombia; Iceland; Singapore; United Kingdom; 
Switzerland; Israel; Costa Rica; Bangladesh; European Union; Mexico; a nd Thailand. The following 
delegations submitted written questions after the deadline: Turkey; Peru; Kazakhstan; Russian 
Federation; Indonesia; Malaysia; China; and the Philippines.  
1.5.  At the time of its previous Review in 2015, Members had commended India fo r its accelerating 
rate of economic growth, particularly in the services sector. Members had recognized India's need 
and willingness to overcome structural bottlenecks and, in particular, urged India to pursue further 
tax reforms, including steps to introd uce a nationwide Goods and Services Tax, which has since been 
fully implemented. This reform enabled India to harmonize the indirect tax system. However, the 
Secretariat report prepared for this Review notes that other constraints, such as shortfalls in 
infrastructure, continue to exist and thus there remains a need to better target fiscal expenditure.  
1.6.  The Chairperson focused on India's economic developments since its previous Review. The 
Secretariat Report indicated that economic growth had been strong fo r most of the period under 
review, which had led to an improvement in socio -economic indicators, such as per -capita income 
and life expectancy. In this context, the Chairperson was heartened to read in the Government 
Report prepared for this Review that, t o encourage female participation in the economy, various 
programmes and legislative reforms had been put in place, and a number of provisions to protect 
women had been incorporated into various labour laws to create a work environment for women 
workers.  
1.7.  As all Members knew, this Review was taking place at a time when the world had witnessed an 
unprecedented health crisis, with COVID -19 hitting economies across the world in rapid succession. 
As a response to the pandemic, India implemented a series of measur es targeting certain sectors of 
the economy, as well as both the rural and urban poor.  
1.8.  Trade policy remained broadly unchanged during the period under review. India made 
considerable efforts on trade facilitation, with a reduction in the number of documen ts required and 
a move towards electronic procedures. However, several features of trade policy which had raised 
concerns at the time of the last Review seemed to remain in place. India continued to rely on trade 
policy instruments, such as the tariff, exp ort taxes, minimum import prices, import and export 
restrictions, and licensing, to attain domestic policy goals. In this regard, the Secretariat Report 
noted that the frequent changes made to these trade policy instruments rendered India's trade policy 
complex.  
1.9.  At the time of the last Review, it was recognized that the services sector was the main pillar of 
India's economy. This sector continued to contribute substantially to economic growth. This could 
partly be attributed to India's continued liberaliza tion of its FDI policies in several sectors, including 
in services, and to the implementation of reforms to improve supervision in the banking sector. 
Reforms had also been pursued in other infrastructure -related services, notably transportation.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  1.10.   While ser vices dominated the economy, agriculture and manufacturing continued to receive 
significant support in the form of direct subsidies and other schemes. Agriculture accounted for 
around 16% of GDP and for over half of employment. India continued to use trade  policy to regulate 
domestic prices and the supply of key commodities. Subsidies were provided for key inputs, such as 
fertilizers, water, and electricity. As food security remained a major policy goal, India also procured 
and provided rice, wheat and coar se grains at low prices for approximately 75% of the rural 
population and 50% of the urban population; the food subsidy accounted for around 55% of the 
total budgeted explicit subsidies. At the time of the last Review, Members had expressed concerns 
regard ing these subsidies.  
1.11.   A survey of the advance questions submitted for this Review showed the wide range of topics 
of interest to Members regarding India's trade and investment regimes, including: tariffs and other 
charges on imports; the frequent use of co ntingency measures; the use of import and export 
restrictions; export support and other incentives; standards, and sanitary and phytosanitary 
requirements; sector -specific reservations, preferences and the use of the Make in India initiative in 
public proc urement; the newly implemented National Intellectual Property Rights (NIPR) Policy and 
enforcement of intellectual property rights; agricultural policies, including import and export 
measures, and support policies; and policies relating to services, includ ing foreign direct investment, 
and regulatory changes.  
1.12.   In total, India received over 881 advance written questions from 31 delegations for this 
Review, covering a broad range of topics. Prior to this meeting, India had already provided written 
replies to a lmost all of these questions, and the Chairperson looked forward to hearing India's 
updates on these issues during the second day of the meeting.  
1.13.   This meeting was a good opportunity for Members to discuss in greater detail issues of interest 
to them and of  systemic importance to the multilateral trading system. It was also an opportune 
moment for India to update the Membership on the impact of COVID -19 on its economy and 
measures it had taken in response, given that the documentation prepared for this Revie w might 
not cover all measures taken. The Chairperson looked forward to a fruitful exchange.  
1.14.   The Chairperson closed his introductory remarks by wishing India a very successful seventh 
Trade Policy Review.  
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  2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIA (MR. ANUP WADHAWAN)  
2.1.  India is pleased to participate in its seventh Trade Policy Review by the WTO. I thank the WTO 
Secretariat team for their meticulous work and the very comprehensive report for the Trade Policy 
Review, despite the  challenges posed by the COVID -19 pandemic. Let me also convey our sincere 
thanks to the Permanent Representative of Thailand, H.E. Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, for 
agreeing to be the discussant.  
2.2.  The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) is one of the most important instruments in the 
discharge of the WTO’s monitoring function. We value the interest of the Membership in the Review, 
and thank them for the questions posed to India, which highlights the value of this process. We have 
already responded to m ore than 700 questions posed by 27 Members till 1st of January, and look 
forward to a fruitful interaction with the Membership over the next two days. We believe this is an 
opportunity to apprise the WTO Membership about the changes taking place in our eco nomy and our 
trade and economic policy framework.  
COVID -19 
2.3.  India’s seventh Trade Policy Review is taking place at a time when the world is witnessing an 
unprecedented health crisis. The COVID -19 pandemic has been the most devastating global event 
in living  memory for most of us. To effectively address the health and economic challenges posed 
by the COVID -19 pandemic, India made a far -reaching and all -encompassing effort comprehensively 
involving the entire framework and spread of the governmental machinery and civil society at all 
levels. We responded with determination and discipline to this challenge, with the welfare of both 
our citizens and the larger world community in mind. Our immediate priority was to save lives with 
the least possible economic disru ption. Our fatality rate has remained low and more than 98 out of 
every 100 infected persons have recovered.  
2.4.  The crisis stimulated innovation and enterprise. Starting with negligible capacity in the 
production of several health and PPE related items, today  we are manufacturing and exporting 
several of these products with significant cost -effectiveness, while maintaining the highest quality 
standards. We have recently accorded emergency use approval for two vaccines that are 
manufactured in India. India rema ins committed to ensuring equitable and affordable access to 
vaccines for all and our vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used in full measure towards 
this end.  
2.5.  The pandemic has also reminded us of the importance of multilateralism and adheren ce to a 
rules-based global order in achieving the larger good in an equitable manner. Multilateral institutions 
like the WTO have an important role to play in building mutual trust, in minimizing the impact of 
disruptions through cross -country cooperation and, most importantly, in ensuring global recovery 
with efficacy. In line with our Prime Minister’s commitment to make vaccines accessible and 
affordable for all, India along with other Members, has proposed an exemption from the related 
TRIPS Agreement pr ovisions to make this possible. We are encouraged by the support this proposal 
has received from governments, political leaders, international organizations, civil society, media, 
and the people. We hope the entire WTO Membership will come together to supp ort this endeavour 
wholeheartedly.  
Economic policy  
2.6.  Chair, when India's previous Trade Policy Review took place in 2015, the global economic 
situation was relatively more stable and certain. Since then, in the last 5 years, the Government has 
worked diligen tly to reform and transform the entire economic eco -system to meet the 
socio-economic aspirations of a billion plus Indians.  
2.7.  The reform agenda has been guided by the objective of ensuring a non -intrusive regulatory 
environment aimed at less Government inte rference and a focus on governance targeting improved 
"ease of doing business". The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017, that 
amalgamated a large number of Central and State taxes into a single tax, was a most significant 
reform. A unified GST across the federal and State level addresses cascading of tax burden and 
paves the way for a common national market. Our direct tax reforms have ensured that corporate 
tax rates are amongst the lowest in the world. The Government has also mad e concerted efforts to WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  improve tax compliance and tax revenue collection through extensive automation of business 
processes and compliance procedures, while anonymizing assessments for transparency. The 
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, enacted in 2016, prov ides a mechanism for the insolvency 
resolution of debtors in a time bound manner. Path -breaking reforms have been introduced in the 
labour sector, by assimilating 44 Union labour laws into 4 codes having substantively improved 
provisions.  
2.8.  We have put in pl ace an enabling and investor friendly foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, 
which has opened up new sectors for FDI, enhanced sectoral limits in existing sectors and simplified 
various conditions. FDI up to 100% is now permitted under the automatic route  for most activities.  
2.9.  The Government also embarked on various national programmes like Make in India, Digital 
India, Startup India and Skill India to bring about rapid transformation across sectors in our 
manufacturing environment. Digital India, for insta nce, is a flagship programme that is transforming 
India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The Startup India initiative is 
building a strong ecosystem conducive for the growth of Startup businesses by empowering Startups 
to grow thro ugh innovation. To improve overall public service delivery, the Direct Benefits Transfer 
(DBT) initiative has been implemented. It has been able to contribute to a “Faceless, Paperless, 
Cashless” economy and achieve greater transparency, better targeting a nd timely delivery of 
benefits, with improved accountability and reduced cost of delivery and leakages across public 
programs.  
2.10.   Infrastructure development has remained the cornerstone of our growth strategy and as part 
of that effort, the National Infrastru cture Pipeline of about USD 1.5 trillion was launched in 
December  2019. Strategic disinvestment in public sector undertakings is being undertaken to further 
increase private sector participation, create efficiencies and generate revenue, which will, in tur n, 
enhance the capacity of the Government to invest in developmental priorities.  
2.11.   To address the economic disruption caused by the pandemic, the Government announced a 
series of reforms, with an aim to strengthen the investment climate and position the coun try as an 
efficient manufacturing destination. Called Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, the initiative aims at attracting 
investment by encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, through an efficient plug and play 
infrastructure and utilities environment, and furthe r simplified approval processes, for businesses. 
It is not to be mistaken for an inward -looking stance but is aimed at strengthening the economic 
eco-system for India for it to engage in greater measure with the world with an enhanced capacity 
to better se rve the global community.  
2.12.   Notwithstanding these significant efforts, the country still faces several challenges. While the 
share of agriculture in our GDP has declined to 16%, about 40% of the country’s population still 
depends on agriculture for their liv elihood. We also confront the challenge of ensuring food security, 
particularly for the large number of poor and vulnerable in the country. This challenge accentuated 
during the COVID -19 pandemic, reinforcing the criticality of public stockholding programm es to meet 
the food security challenge.  
2.13.   Chair, we are working towards making India a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024 -25. Success 
in boosting investment and improving trade performance would substantially contribute towards the 
success of this endeavour. The  fundamentals of the Indian economy, based on macroeconomic 
stability, are strong. This has improved the confidence of investors in our economy. FDI inflows have 
increased substantially in recent years with the highest ever FDI inflow of USD 74.39 billion in the 
financial year 2019 -20. Even in these testing times of the pandemic, investors continue to endorse 
India as a desirable investment destination, with FDI inflow rising by more than 10% year -on-year 
to reach USD 40 billion in the first six months of 2 020-21. Improvement in the economic and 
business environment has enabled the country to better its position in the World Bank’s Doing 
Business ranking from 142 in 2015 to 63 in 2019.  
2.14.   The structural reforms introduced by the Government in the last few years , along with a host 
of measures taken after the outbreak of COVID -19, should enable the country to bounce back on its 
targeted growth path. The resilience and robustness of the Indian economy is reflected in the 
V-shaped recovery evident at the half -way st age of 2020 -21, wherein the year -on-year contraction 
of 7.5% in real GDP in July -September is much smaller than the year -on-year contraction of 23.9% 
in the preceding April -June quarter. With the favourable monsoon and growth in direct investment WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  along wit h a gradual increase in private consumption, the outlook for India holds out a promise of 
strong and steady growth, aided by a very supportive counter -cyclical monetary policy, and positive 
news on the vaccine front.  
Trade policy  
2.15.   Trade is a vital aspect of  India’s development strategy and an enabler of its economic 
competitiveness. Our Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) has sought to make trade a major contributor to 
the country’s economic growth and development. Its objective is to provide a stable, sustainable, 
and predictable policy environment for trade in merchandise and services. The Government aims to 
boost India’s exports of merchandise and services and raise India’s share in world exports from 
about 2% to 3.5%. The FTP has a special focus on trade facilitat ion. We have taken several measures 
to ease the foreign trade environment through further digitization of processes and their 
simplification for businesses. The number of documents required for exports and imports have been 
reduced to three, comparable wit h international benchmarks. We are moving ahead in achieving the 
full functionality of the already significant electronic governance system, which has made the 
approvals environment paperless and faceless.  
2.16.   During the Review period, India also ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement in April 2016. 
The National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) was constituted and a pan -India roadmap for 
trade facilitation was implemented under the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) 
2017-2020. A new NTFAP for the period ending 2023 is under preparation with a vision to take 
additional reforms to bolster trade facilitation efforts and transform the cross -border clearance 
eco-system through efficient, transparent, risk based, coordinated, digital, seamless an d 
technology -driven procedures. These would be supported by state -of-the-art logistics infrastructure.  
2.17.   The trade facilitative measures initiated by the Government have been instrumental in a 
significant reduction in the time and cost of border and document ary compliances for exports and 
imports in the last few years. This is reflected in the country’s ranking of 68 on the Trading Across 
Borders indicator in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2020, a vast improvement from 126 in 
2015.  
2.18.   As a result of our efforts, India has continued steadily on a path of trade liberalization and is 
becoming increasingly integrated in the global economy. Our trade performance is an indicator of 
the openness of our market. During the five -year period under review, exports gr ew at a compound 
annual growth rate of 4.5%, while imports grew by 5.7%. India’s share in global trade has registered 
an increase, with our exports, inclusive of services, crossing the half a trillion -dollar mark for the 
first time in 2018 -19 to reach a ne w high of USD 538.1 billion. This feat was repeated in  2019-20. 
2.19.   Our tariff structure also reflects our commitment to an open and transparent trading system. 
While the average bound MFN rate for all products is 50%, the applied rates are much lower. The 
simple average MFN applied tariff is about 14% for all products and 11% for non -agricultural 
products. We have a simple tariff structure, with ad valorem duties on about 94% of our tariff lines. 
Non ad valorem duties apply to a mere 6% of India’s tariff lines . 
2.20.   The Secretariat in its report, as also some Members, have commented on the increase in 
anti-dumping investigations initiated during the review period. In all cases we have complied with 
the letter and spirit of the relevant WTO provisions. And, measures, where imposed, impinge on a 
miniscule less than 1% of our total imports. The increase in these cases is only a reflection of the 
increase in incidence of unfair trade practices experienced by us. We have been duly notifying these 
measures to the WTO, as done recently, for our new anti -circumvention rules.  
2.21.   The Secretariat and some Members have also highlighted apprehension in respect of India’s 
efforts against counterfeit and pirated goods, based on the OECD -EUIPO study which uses data for 
a select  period from 2014 to 2016. We, however, believe that such concerns based on limited data 
sources, are mis -founded. With the implementation of the National IPR Policy 2016, India has taken 
significant strides in strengthening its Intellectual Property Right s regime. A slew of initiatives and 
reforms have been introduced since then, as part of a concrete action plan to bring down timelines, 
rationalize compliance requirements, facilitate IP registration, and improve IP protection for the right 
holders. This i s reflected in India being ranked among the top 50 innovative economies of the world 
by WIPO under the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  India and the Multilateral Trading System  
2.22.   The multilateral trading system has faced unprecedented challenges in t he past few years. As 
a founding Member of the WTO, India remains committed to the centrality of the WTO for an 
integrated, rules -based global trading system. India has been an active participant in the efforts to 
safeguard and strengthen the WTO for promo ting development and inclusivity. In order to facilitate 
a consensus towards this goal, India took the initiative to host two informal mini -ministerial meetings 
in New Delhi, in March 2018 and May 2019.  
2.23.   The growth in the number of free trade agreements is creating a new trading landscape, with 
the potential to bring about enormous changes in global trade dynamics. These developments must 
go hand in hand with maintaining and strengthening the centrality of the WTO in the global 
commerce and trade architectur e. The multilateral trading system not only needs to keep pace with 
new developments, but it also needs to be reformed to address several existing asymmetries in 
current trade rules which places developing countries at a disadvantage.  
2.24.   The COVID -19 pandemic  has further accentuated the inherent weaknesses and inequalities in 
the global economic and trading system. India strongly believes that the multilateral trading system 
needs urgent reforms to make it robust and responsive to address the new challenges co nfronting 
us. In this regard, India along with other Members, has tabled reform proposals that provide a 
long-term roadmap for reforming the ailing and imbalanced current global trading system. We seek 
immediate restoration of the Appellate Body, in a mann er that preserves the essential features of a 
two-tier dispute settlement system, negative consensus and independence of the dispute settlement 
mechanism. We believe that the resolution of the impasse in the Appellate Body must precede other 
reforms. Also,  the agenda for WTO reform must be development centric, preserving the core values 
of the multilateral trading system, strengthening the provisions of special and differential treatment 
in existing and future agreements. It must also preserve the Member -driven multilateral character 
of WTO, including consensus -based decision making. The existing imbalances and asymmetries need 
to be addressed to ensure a level playing field for the developing Members, including LDCs.  
2.25.   In order to deal with the immediate fall  out of the COVID -19 pandemic, we have advocated a 
short-term package of effective measures that includes the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal to 
increase manufacturing capacity and ensure timely and affordable availability of new diagnostics, 
therapeutics and vaccines for COVID -19; a permanent solution for Public Stockholding (PSH) for 
food security purposes to address food security concern; and a multilateral initiative that provides 
for easier access to medical services under mode -4 to facilitate easier c ross-border movement of 
health care professionals.  
2.26.   Notwithstanding the deficiencies in the existing system, India remains an active participant in 
the ongoing negotiations at the WTO, including the fisheries subsidy negotiations. We have 
advocated the urge nt need for strong disciplines to regulate certain harmful fisheries subsidies, while 
preserving the livelihood of subsistence artisanal and small -scale fishermen in developing countries, 
including LDCs. We are also playing a constructive role in agricultu re and services negotiations and 
are making efforts to reinvigorate the Work Program on Electronic Commerce and Domestic 
Regulations.  
2.27.   We also remain committed to assisting the LDCs for their enhanced participation in 
international trade. During the review period, we further simplified our market access for LDCs by 
re-working India’s Duty -Free Tariff Preference Scheme of 2008. India now provides LDCs duty free 
market access on 96% of tariff lines and preferential duties on 2.2% of the lines. India is the fou rth 
biggest export destination for LDCs. We have also notified preferential treatment to services and 
service suppliers of LDCs, wherein, we provide technical assistance, capacity building and Market 
access under Mode 4. This is testimony to our commitment to “inclusive globalization”.  
Concluding remarks  
2.28.   In conclusion, I would like to say that twenty years ago India occupied a small space on the 
global trade canvas. Today, foreign trade is a significant part of the Indian economy and its foreign 
trade framework is closely and inextricably embedded as a priority area in the overall economic 
policy framework. We are striving to further catalyze trade as an engine of growth, to overcome the 
challenge of poverty, unemployment, and income inequality. W e are confident, as we move along WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  this trajectory, that India will play an increasingly important role in global trade in the years to come. 
India will also continue to play an important role here at the WTO to protect, preserve and strengthen 
the multilat eral trading system.  
2.29.   I thank the Members, once again, for their interest in India’s Trade Policy Review and look 
forward to our interaction over the next two days.  
  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT  
Introduction  
3.1.  I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Dr.  Anup Wadhawan, Commerce Secretary, 
and the rest of the Indian delegation to this virtual meeting. I would also like to express my personal 
appreciation for the remarkable work accomplished by Ambassador Brajendra Navnit and his 
competent team.  
3.2.  It is with  great honor and privilege that I provide today's discussant remarks for the 7th Trade 
Policy Review (TPR) of India. The TPR has been a fundamental mechanism of the WTO to promote 
transparency and understanding of Members' trade policies and practices. Con structive assessments 
and peer review contribute to improved adherence by all Members to rules, disciplines and 
commitments made under the WTO Agreements and hence to the smoother functioning of the 
multilateral trading system.  
3.3.  My role as a discussant is t o introduce facts and encourage discussions. The high -quality reports 
conducted by the Secretariat and the Government of India provide an excellent starting point for my 
analysis.  
Macroeconomic overview  
3.4.  Let me start by highlighting significant points relat ed to the macroeconomic context of India’s 
trade policy.  
3.5.  According to the World Bank national accounts data, India emerged as the world’s 5th largest 
economy in 2019 with current GDP of USD 2,869 billion. India's economic growth continued to be 
strong for  most of the review period. Robust economic growth led to an improvement in 
socio-economic indicators, such as per -capita income and life expectancy. However, since the first 
half of 2019, economic expansion has slowed down mainly due to lower consumption and 
investment.  
3.6.  During the review period, economic reforms were undertaken with an emphasis on increasing 
efficiency and inclusiveness. Structural reforms and investment to improve infrastructure were also 
continued. Additionally, a number of government p rograms were introduced to focus on poverty 
alleviation.  
3.7.  Services continued to be the most competitive sector during the review period. Growth was led 
by trade and repair services, communications, hotels and tourism, and transport services. 
Manufacturing a lso showed robust growth from 2014 to 2019, driven mainly by machinery and 
equipment, and food products. The agricultural sector also performed relatively well .  
3.8.  In view of merchandise trade, petroleum and mineral products, precious stones and metals, 
chem icals, and textiles are the largest components of exports. Imports continue to be dominated by 
petroleum and mineral products. The European Union remains the major destination for exports, 
followed by the United States whereas almost 40% of India's imports  originated in Asia, mostly from 
China.  
3.9.  During the review period, the general thrust of its trade policies remained relatively unchanged. 
India has signed 16 regional trade agreements, as notified to the WTO. India has also provided 
duty-free and quota -free treatment to LDCs.  
3.10.   In light of COVID -19, the Government responded to the pandemic by launching the 
Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan or the Self -reliant India program in May 2020. It aims to provide a 
stimulus package to certain sectors of the economy,  as well as the rural and urban poor to respond 
to the effects of the current health crisis.  
Key Developments  
3.11.   Turning to key developments since India’s last review.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  3.12.   India has continued to gradually open sectors to FDI. Significant improvements include 
permitting up to 100% foreign -equity ownership in a larger number of agricultural activities through 
the automatic route; automatic FDI of up to 100% in the defence industry, broadcasting carriage 
services, and telecommunications services.  
3.13.   On tariffs, in 2015 , Members voiced concerns with respect to the complexity and uncertainty 
in tariffs and other charges including an additional duty and a special additional duty. Although the 
basic tariff structure remains unchanged since the last review, the introduction of the Goods and 
Services Tax (GST) to harmonize the indirect tax system in 2017 removed the additional duties and 
special additional duties previously added to the basic tariff. Thus, the adoption of the GST has been 
a major improvement regarding other du ties and charges affecting imports.  
3.14.   In relation to agriculture, during the last review, Members urged India to step up its efforts 
to liberalize this sector. I am pleased to learn that India undertook various reforms in agriculture 
during the review perio d. Under the Agricultural Export Policy, processed and organic agricultural 
products are not subject to export restrictions, and imports of agricultural products that are used 
for such exports were to be liberalized. Efforts have also been made to improve the marketing of 
agricultural products, including through the introduction of an electronic National Agricultural Market 
in 2016, aiming at unifying the markets across the states. I believe that these tremendous efforts 
of India will contribute to further development and to the liberalization of this sector.  
3.15.   Concerning TBT measures, in the previous Review, some Members asked questions regarding 
India's technical regulations, including how they are related to international standards. It is worth 
mentioning t hat over the review period, India substantially amended its standardization legislation; 
the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 1986 was replaced by the BIS Act, 2016. Under the new 
Act, multiple conformity assessment schemes, including self -declaration  of conformity, became 
possible.  
3.16.   On government procurement, I welcome the initiatives that India has been taking to improve 
its government procurement system by establishing a more centralized system in line with the 
requirements of the WTO Agreement on Go vernment Procurement, to which India is an observer. 
During the review period, the General Financial Rules, which is the main legislation regulating 
government procurement, were amended several times to introduce new procurement methods and 
enforce the use  of electronic procurement.  
3.17.   Regarding trade facilitation, it is worth noting that during the period under review, India 
implemented several measures to facilitate trade, such as a reduction in the number of documents 
required, and the automation of the cu stoms clearance system for imports and exports.  
3.18.   The last development I need to underline is about intellectual property rights (IPR). In 2016, 
India introduced its first National Intellectual Property Rights Policy. It is aimed at creating national 
awarene ss of the importance of IPR protection through training and outreach, as well as offers 
financial support and fiscal incentives to encourage IPR generation and commercialization. I would 
be interested to know if India has developed any concrete plans to ac hieve the objectives set out in 
the NIPR Policy.  
Suggestions for improvement  
3.19.   Overall, India has demonstrated impressive improvements in many areas. The existing reform 
process of India is going to be a positive and a forward -looking endeavour. However, alt hough a lot 
has been achieved, I am of the view that there is room for further improvements.  
3.20.   For example, tariff reforms, particularly in terms of simplification and liberalization of its tariff 
structure, as well as narrowing the gap between applied and bound tariffs would certainly enhance 
transparency and predictability of India’s trade regimes. An application of trade remedies measures 
with special care would ensure that trade flows as smoothly and predictably as possible. The 
streamlining of import me asures and the harmonization of its standards with international standards 
would help facilitate trade. In addition, given India's continued need for better infrastructure, 
subsidies in agriculture should be reduced and better targeted, to free up resource s for investment.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  Conclusion  
3.21.   Finally, let me underline that being the world’s 5th largest economy in terms of nominal GDP, 
India is increasingly becoming an important trading partner for many WTO Members. Given its size 
and profile in the global economy, I ndia’s consistent efforts to improve its trade and investment 
regimes will foster a more open and transparent business environment, which significantly benefits 
its trading partners and contribute to sustaining India’s strong economic growth.  
3.22.   In addition, India has been playing a proactive role in strengthening and promoting 
multilateral trading system. India is a key and invaluable contributor to the WTO both in the regular 
work and in various negotiations, including, the discussions on the WTO reform, TRI PS waivers, 
e-commerce, agriculture, and services. I hope that India will continue to be a staunch supporter of 
the rules -based multilateral trading system in the spirit of constructive engagement for the benefit 
of all.  
3.23.    To conclude, in the 7th TPR of Ind ia, we are offered a valuable opportunity to review the 
policies and practices of one of the most important Members among us. In this regard, I look forward 
to constructive discussions today, and to India I offer my best wishes for this TPR.  
  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS  
CANADA  
4.1.  We welcome this opportunity to participate in the 7th Trade Policy Review of India.  
4.2.  First, we would like to commend India for its economic performance in recent years. Indeed, 
India recently became the world’s fifth largest economy, and has had annual GDP growth regularly 
above 7%.  
4.3.  Unfortunately, 2020 has been a hard year for the global economy and the pandemic has left 
its mark on global trade. Many nations have had to implement policies aimed at bolstering our 
economies. We note that India joined Canada and other nations in the G20 in working to ensure that 
any measures taken did not im pose unjustified or harmful burdens on workers, businesses, and our 
global economies. Canada continues to urge that COVID -19 measures be temporary, transparent, 
targeted, and consistent with WTO rules.  
4.4.  Canada recognizes and applauds the important role that  India has taken as a global leader in 
developing, producing, and distributing a potential COVID -19 vaccine. India is a critical partner when 
it comes to pharmaceuticals, producing 60 percent of the world’s vaccines and accounting for 
60-80% of the United Nations’ annual vaccine procurement. In the global challenge against 
COVID -19, India’s efforts are vital to preventing deaths and ensuring that the world recovers as 
quickly as possible.  
4.5.  We will continue to work with India to make progress on commitments c ontained in the G20 
Trade and Investment Ministers statements on COVID -19, to support and promote global 
collaboration to address economic challenges and prepare for post -pandemic recovery. In this 
context, Canada notes that there are some measures pertain ing to certain agriculture products that 
negatively impact the predictability farmers and international traders need for a quick and 
sustainable post -COVID recovery. These measures include high tariffs, quantitative import 
restrictions and unnecessarily tr ade restrictive sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures on pulses.  
4.6.  More generally, Canada would like to acknowledge that there have been noteworthy changes 
over the last five years to India’s trade and economic policies.   
4.7.  This includes recent regulatory  reforms to its investment policy, which have resulted in opening 
of new sectors for foreign direct investment.  
4.8.  We also note the adoption of a National Intellectual Property Rights policy in 2016 and welcome 
India’s accession to a number of World Intellec tual Property Organization treaties during the review 
period.  
4.9.  In the area of services, Canada continues to note India’s strong competitive advantage and 
encourages India to leverage these advantages by undertaking deeper trade commitments and 
locking in r ecent liberalizations.   
4.10.   In terms of government procurement, India has made important strides in modernizing its 
government procurement regime - in particular, some of the recent amendments it has made to the 
General Financial Rules. However, there is some  ongoing concern with respect to India’s highly 
decentralized government procurement structure and the growing use of procurement initiatives 
that impose local content requirements favouring domestic Indian businesses over foreign suppliers.  
4.11.   We also wish t o acknowledge India’s ambitious bilateral and regional trade policy agenda, and 
we commend India’s active ongoing pursuit of trade agreements with Canada, Australia, the 
European Union, and the United States. The conclusion of high -quality trade and invest ment 
agreements would contribute to India’s economic development.   
4.12.   In this context, Canada is committed to resolving outstanding trade issues with India and 
working toward the conclusion of negotiations for both a Comprehensive Economic Partnership 
Agreem ent (CEPA) and a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA).  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.13.   We equally encourage India to further engage in multilateral trade negotiations to further 
expand international opportunities for India’s exporters, importers, and consumers. To  this end, 
Canada looks forward to India’s constructive engagement in order to achieve pragmatic, confidence 
building outcomes at the upcoming 12th Ministerial Conference.  
4.14.   Additionally, we encourage India to support the Buenos Aires Declaration and join t he new 
Informal Working Group on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment at the WTO. Likewise, we 
encourage India’s participation in initiatives such as the WTO Informal Working Group on Micro, 
Small and Medium -sized Enterprises to ensure that barriers to i nternational trade are effectively 
removed for traditionally under -represented groups as India continues to grow its economy and 
expand its markets.  
4.15.   India’s WTO notifications record is very good. Since its last Trade Policy Review, India took 
significant steps to ensure its notifications are update to date. One area where we encourage India 
to do further work is concerning its agriculture export subsidies (ES:1) notifications where its last 
notification was for 2009.  
4.16.   Finally, returning to the overall busi ness environment, we congratulate India on its recent 
improvement on the “Ease of Doing Business Index”, a jump from 77 to 63. We encourage India to 
continue its work to improve the overall business environment. Reducing tariffs, eliminating 
unnecessary te chnical barriers and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and simplifying taxation 
and bureaucratic processes would make India an even more attractive place to do business and to 
invest.  
4.17.   We have prepared a series of questions and look forward to receiving India’s responses. We 
wish the Indian delegation success with this trade policy review.  
AUSTRALIA  
4.18.   India is a key economic and strategic partner for Australia. The June 2020 decision by Prime 
Minister Morrison and Prime Minister Modi to elevate the bilatera l relationship to a Comprehensive 
Strategic Partnership underscores our mutual commitment to enhancing engagement across all 
spheres, including trade and investment.  
4.19.   Australia recognizes India’s achievement in undertaking significant reforms and improving its 
ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings from 142 to 63 in just six years. India’s 
ongoing transformation has had a head -turning effect on Australian investors and businesses. 
Australia is closely following India’s ambitious reform p rogramme and looks forward to further 
liberalisation measures which enhance India’s trade competitiveness and attractiveness to 
international investors. As these reforms evolve, Australia hopes to see these changes being 
reflected in India’s engagement at the WTO.  
4.20.   Australia remains concerned about India’s agricultural policy and trade settings, particularly 
those that distort trade and production – making global markets less predictable and more unstable. 
Australia encourages India to use its reform progra m to ensure its agricultural policy and trade 
settings facilitate a thriving and market -based global trading system that supports the livelihoods of 
all Members’ populations. As one of the world’s largest producers and markets for agricultural 
products, wh at India does matters.  
4.21.   Australia and other Members have raised concerns about policies and measures employed by 
India during India’s previous TPRs, and we regret to see they have continued during the review 
period. India also maintained significant levels  of production -distorting domestic support for key 
agricultural crops and continued to incentivise exports of subsidised products. India's domestic 
support for sugarcane and its export subsidies for sugar are of particular concern to Australia, which 
is why Australia has joined Brazil and Guatemala in initiating a dispute to challenge those measures. 
In the interests of all Members, including developing Members, Australia urges India to ensure its 
agricultural measures are fair, predictable and conform with  India’s WTO obligations, including by 
providing complete and more detailed notifications. Improved notifications from India would help 
ensure measures supporting its agricultural sector are transparent and alleviate some of the 
immediate impacts on global  trade and production, particularly when implemented at short notice.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.22.   In keeping with its regional and global prominence, India plays a major role in the WTO. 
Australia and India share a commitment to the rules -based multilateral trading system, and to 
maintaining the WTO’s centrality in that system. A number of difficult and systemic issues confront 
all Members. We recognize the important role India can play as we pursue effective and meaningful 
reforms in areas such as levelling the playing field, specia l and differential treatment, and the dispute 
settlement system. Australia also calls on India to play a leadership role in encouraging constructive 
engagement in negotiations on agriculture to help achieve an outcome at the 12th Ministerial 
Conference. As  a major player in global services trade and a leader in e -commerce, participation by 
India in the joint statement initiatives on e -commerce and services domestic regulation would be 
strongly in India’s interests.  
4.23.   Total two -way trade between Australia and India climbed to USD 29.3 billion in 2019. In view 
of this remarkable growth, Prime Ministers Morrison and Modi have agreed to re -engage on a 
bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement where a mutually agreed way forward 
can be found, while sui tably considering earlier bilateral discussions. The door also remains open for 
India to re -join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership at any time following entry into 
force of the Agreement.  
4.24.   India and Australia have both been impacted by the glo bal economic downturn precipitated 
by COVID -19. Expanding economic linkages and enhancing the resilience of supply chains will be 
key as we seek to strengthen our economies in the COVID -19 recovery phase. The December 2020 
report to the Indian Government b y the Confederation of Indian Industries – Australia Economic 
Strategy – along with the 2018 independent report to the Australian Government – An India 
Economic Strategy to 2035 – provide practical advice on ways we can achieve this.   
4.25.   Australia looks forw ard to continuing to work with India to strengthen the rules -based 
multilateral trading system and realise the potential for increased bilateral trade and investment 
growth.  
NEW  ZEALAND  
4.26.   New Zealand welcomes the opportunity to comment on the seventh Trade P olicy Review of 
the Republic of India. New Zealand highly values its trade and economic relationship with India. In 
the year to September 2020, India was New Zealand’s eleventh largest two -way trading partner. 
India was also our eighth largest export marke t.  
4.27.   New Zealand and India both have a strong interest in the promotion and protection of an 
open, inclusive, rules -based global trading system. In these unprecedented times of COVID -19, it is 
more important than ever that we continue to remain committed to rules -based, open trade.  With 
the rise in the number of non -tariff measures globally, it is also important to ensure that these 
measures are designed in a transparent manner and meet legitimate policy goals without unduly 
restricting or disto rting trade.  
4.28.   New Zealand submitted a number of questions and would like to thank India for the responses 
provided. As these responses were only just received, we will consider them and provide further 
comment as appropriate in due course.  
4.29.   Within these ques tions, New Zealand noted the comment in paragraph 4.4 of the Secretariat 
report that India’s controls on agricultural imports and exports vary from year to year. These 
changes contribute to uncertainty for agricultural trade, impact export supply chains, a nd affect 
India’s image as a reliable customer and supplier. New Zealand encourages India to ensure greater 
transparency and predictability within its trade policy in order to promote more efficient and reliable 
trade.  
4.30.   New Zealand acknowledges that India seeks to intervene on items that are essential to food 
security. We sought clarity on the criteria India uses to define such essential items. The criteria 
provided in India’s response include “importance of a product in poor peoples' consumption basket, 
nutritional considerations, traditional food habits across regions.” New Zealand would welcome a 
comprehensive list of these criteria and requests information on where that list is made publically 
available for transparency purposes.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.31.   New Zealand welcomes Ind ia’s goal of reducing poverty and helping households shift to 
cleaner fuels. We encourage India to share its experiences in working towards this goal, including 
on the implementation of targeted fossil fuel subsidies schemes for natural gas, kerosene, and 
petroleum. We thank India for the information provided on the PM Ujjawala Yojana programme to 
provide deposit -free LPG connection to rural poor women. We would welcome further information 
on the implementation of this scheme and others which contribute tow ard the ambitious goals 
outlined.  
4.32.   Paragraph 4.46 of the Secretariat report indicated that export subsidies are being offered on 
skim milk products in Gujarat and Maharashtra states, but that India does not appear to have notified 
this during the review per iod. We sought more information on these subsidies, and welcome India’s 
response confirming that an export subsidy notification will be provided in due course.  
4.33.   New Zealand noted the information in the Secretariat report (Table 4.5) that India has a range 
of measures in place to increase fish production, including financial assistance for the conversion 
and construction of tuna long liners. We sought more information from India on this assistance, and 
welcome India’s response, which included assurances that these policies do not contribute to 
overcapacity and overfishing in the tuna fisheries of the Indian Ocean. We welcome further 
information on this point and encourage on -going transparency of measures affecting fisheries in 
the Indian Ocean.  
4.34.   A recent devel opment has been the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic 
Partnership (RCEP) negotiation. New Zealand acknowledges India’s decision to step back from RCEP, 
but notes the door remains open to India, with a fast -track accession process in place, should India 
be in a position to reconsider joining.  
4.35.   In conclusion, New Zealand welcomes the commitment of India to the multilateral trading 
system. We welcome the progress made by India since the last Trade Policy Review. New Zealand 
remains committed to continuing and deepening its economic relationship with India through 
mutually beneficial trade and investment. And we look forward to continuing to work with India here 
at the WTO to advance our common interests in the rules -based multilateral trading sys tem. 
OMAN  
4.36.   It is an honor and a pleasure to participate in the trade policy review of India.  
4.37.   We commend H.E. the Minister of Trade and Industry of India for an excellent and 
comprehensive opening statement.  
4.38.    The Sultanate of Oman and India enjoy deep rooted  historical, political, and economic 
relations. Our countries cooperate in various fields, including on defence, industry, and tourism.  
4.39.   The volume of trade exchange between the Sultanate of Oman and India for the year 2019 
in exports was OMR 725 million e quivalent to USD 1.88 billion, and in imports was OMR 444.8 million 
equivalent to USD 1.16 billion.  
4.40.   The volume of Indian investments registered in the Sultanate of Oman until 2019 from various 
sectors (trade - construction - real estate - services) amounte d to OMR 3.9 billion equivalent to 
USD 10 billion.  
4.41.   The important demographic weight of India and the unique geographical location of the 
Sultanate make our countries a catalyst for economic growth and development in the region.  
4.42.   Oman congratulates India on  the strong performance of its economy during the period under 
review, which grew on average by 7.4% until 2018. This impressive economic growth led to an 
improvement in socio -economic indicators, such as per -capita income and life expectancy.  
4.43.   We are glad  to note that economic reforms continued throughout this period and were focused 
on increasing efficiency and inclusiveness. Measures to improve efficiency included a number of 
steps on trade and investment facilitation.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.44.   Oman welcomes the steps taken by th e Government of India, since the last review, to remove 
some products including onions and sugar from the list of exports subject to state trading. We hope 
that in the near future more products will be removed from this list, thus allowing for their export  
by eligible exporters.  
4.45.    Oman also welcomes the issuance of India’s National Intellectual Property Rights policy and 
the revision of standardization legislation.  
4.46.    In the area of trade remedies, Oman considers that Members have a right to use 
anti-dumping measures, so long as they are not used as a tool for protectionism. We note that India 
is currently the biggest user of anti -dumping measures in the WTO. We wish to reiterate the 
importance of following the procedures of the Antidumping Agreement and relev ant WTO dispute 
settlement jurisprudence in carrying out AD investigations.  
4.47.   Oman considers India a key player at the WTO and supports its unwavering commitment to 
highlighting the needs and concerns of developing and least -developed members, including SDT and 
the TRIPS Article 6 waiver. India’s policies and practices have a positive impact on the functioning 
of the multilateral trading system.  
4.48.   To conclude, the Sultanate of Oman wishes India a very successful Trade Policy Review.  
HONG  KONG,  CHINA  
4.49.   I would lik e to extend a warm welcome to India’s delegation led by Dr Anup Wadhawan, 
Secretary of Department of Commerce. I would also like to thank the discussant, Ambassador 
Sunanta, for sharing with us her insights, and the Secretariat for preparing the comprehens ive 
report.  
4.50.   Hong Kong, China and India have maintained long -standing trade and economic relations, 
and we value India as an important trading partner. In 2019, India was Hong Kong, China’s 8th 
largest trading partner in merchandise trade, while Hong Kong, China was India’s 5th largest trading 
partner.  Our total merchandise trade amounted to USD 24.6 billion in 2019.  
4.51.   Today, I would like to highlight three specific areas in India’s trade policies, namely trade 
facilitation, anti -dumping measures and trade in  services.  
4.52.   On trade facilitation, India ratified the Agreement on Trade Facilitation in April 2016 and 
designated the majority of its commitments as Category A. As of January 2020, India had 
implemented 78.2% of its commitments.  
4.53.   We are pleased to note that India introduced further trade facilitating measures during the 
reporting period, covering many different areas, such as reduction in the documents required for 
customs process, deferred payment of customs duties, automation of the customs clearance s ystem 
for imports and exports, a new Authorised Economic Operator Programme which allows for 
self-certification by the Authorised Economic Operators, and direct port delivery and entry which 
reduces the release time and costs for imports and exports.  
4.54.   India has also introduced electronic measures to further facilitate trade, including the Single 
Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade and the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway. These 
measures provide services such as integrated risk assessment, electronic filing of bills and supporting 
documents, e -payment of customs duties, electronic signing of customs documents, as well as online 
clearances.  
4.55.   We commend India’s continued efforts in simplifying and modernising its customs procedures 
to facilitate trade, i n response to a rapidly changing economic and technological environment.  
4.56.   Further, we are pleased to note that India has shared with the Committee on Trade Facilitation 
an illustrative list of measures taken in response to the COVID -19 pandemic. These measu res include 
a dedicated single window COVID -19 helpdesk for traders, 24/7 customs clearance facilities at 
designated ports, e -delivery of customs documents. We applaud India’s dedicated efforts in 
facilitating trade and maintaining transparency during this  challenging time.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.57.   Turning to anti -dumping measures, we note with concern that India continues to be an active 
user of such measures. First, during 2015 -19, India initiated 233 investigations, compared with 
82 investigations during the previous review peri od 2011 -14. Second, of the 53 anti -dumping 
measures subject to sunset reviews during 2015 -19, anti -dumping duties were extended in 
28 measures, i.e. 53% of the cases. Third, 58 anti -dumping measures imposed by India have been 
in place for over ten years.  
4.58.   While we respect Members’ legitimate rights to pursue necessary trade remedy actions, we 
believe that such rights should be exercised with caution and due restraint to ensure that measures 
are taken only if they are fully justified and are not used for prot ectionist purposes.  
4.59.   We would also urge India to terminate the anti -dumping investigations concerning imports of 
“sun and/or dust control film”, “flat rolled products of stainless steel” and “newsprint in rolls or 
sheets, excluding glazed newsprint” against  Hong Kong, China.  
4.60.   On trade in services, we note that the sector remained robust during the review period, which 
contributed more than half of India’s GDP and continued to be the main driver of India’s GDP growth. 
In this connection, we welcome India’s con tinuous efforts to liberalise its trade policies and measures 
related to trade in services. We would encourage India to consider further liberalising the trade 
regime for foreign services providers, for instance, by reviewing restrictive market -access cond itions 
or reducing the limits on foreign ownership.  
4.61.   Hong Kong, China looks forward to fostering even closer trade and economic relations with 
India in the years ahead, in particular, in trade in services in sectors such as transport and travel 
services.  
4.62.   We thank India for its replies to our written questions and wish India a very successful Trade 
Policy Review.  
REPUBLIC  OF KOREA  
4.63.   I would like to welcome the delegation of India for its seventh Trade Policy Review. I thank 
Dr. Anup Wadhawan for his comprehensi ve presentation. My appreciation also goes to Ambassador 
Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Thailand) for her contribution as a discussant and to the Secretariat for its 
informative report.  
4.64.   India is the fifth largest economy in the world, and it is remarkable that Ind ia continued to 
register a strong growth at an average rate of 7.4% during the review period prior to the pandemic.  
4.65.   In that period, India’s trade volume saw a sustained expansion of 4.5% for export and 5.7% 
for import, fuelled by the successful strategy o n market diversification and the infrastructure 
developments aimed at better access to energy, healthcare, and logistics in particular.  
4.66.   In addition, foreign direct investment (FDI) witnessed a significant growth thanks to India’s 
efforts to forge a better trading environment that is well displayed in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing 
Business report. In this report, India was ranked at 63rd in 2019 up from 142nd only four years 
before. Prime Minister Modi pledged to achieve top 50, and I am confident that it w ill bear fruit as 
early as this year.   
4.67.   Internally, a number of trade facilitative measures have been implemented. They include 
automation of customs clearance system; Customs Single Window Interface; and the establishment 
of the National Committee on Trad e Facilitation (NCTF) which reviews the implementation of Trade 
Facilitation Agreement (TFA) provisions.  
4.68.   In the WTO, India remains one of the key players in upholding the values of rule -based 
multilateral trading system with its engagements in a wide rang ing areas such as the WTO reform, 
fisheries subsidies and the role of S&DT. Looking forward, I would like to encourage India’s 
corresponding involvements in other agendas, e -commerce and services domestic regulations in 
particular, to stay in lockstep with  the evolution of our trade environment.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.69.   Economic relations between Korea and India entered into new phase in 2010 following the 
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the CEPA. Thanks to the FTA, our bilateral trade 
volume has surged by 70% during  the last decade (2009 -2019), with India being the 11th largest 
trading partner of Korea. The CEPA is currently under revision for the additional liberalization and 
Korea hopes to resume our consultation following a brief lapse during an unexpected pandemi c. 
4.70.   Now, let me turn to some of trade concerns Korea would like to share with India.  
4.71.   First, we request that India take a critical look at its new regulations on the rules of origin, 
namely Customs Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreement Rule s 2020 (CAROTAR 
2020). Korean firms raise increasing concerns which include: an excessive demand for submission 
of origin related information; retrospective applications of law; and arbitrary interpretation of the 
regulation by the customs authorities.  
4.72.   Second, as pointed out in the Secretariat report, India is an active user of trade remedies 
where Korean products are subject to the second most numerous investigations by the Indian 
government. We ask India to take more cautious approach in applying anti -dumping and safeguard 
measures. In the same vein, we emphasize that all relevant investigations shall be conducted in 
conformity with provisions of our bilateral FTA and the WTO. Taking this opportunity, Korea once 
again requests that India participate in th e consultation of compensation procedures for India’s 
safeguard measures.  
4.73.   Likewise, it is highly encouraged that import regulations in general shall be taken based on 
the principle of transparency in the least trade restrictive manner especially as regard s a) import 
license restrictions, b) lesser duty rules, and c) the operation of BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards).  
4.74.   On these issues, Korea has submitted advance written questions and we would appreciate 
India’s response in due course.  
4.75.   The year 2020 was per iod of global setback, but I am certain that India carries a great 
potential to turn this challenge into an opportunity. Korea looks forward to continuing a close 
cooperation with India in building back better our trade and economy.  
JAPAN  
4.76.   Let me first exte nd a warm welcome to this Trade Policy Review (TPR) meeting to the 
distinguished delegation of India as the first official meeting of the WTO in 2021. Happy New Year 
to all delegates. Japan would like to express its appreciation to India’s Government and t he WTO 
Secretariat for their dedicated efforts to prepare the insightful reports shared with the members in 
advance of today's review.  
4.77.   During the period under review, Japan welcomes India’s improvement reforms, including the 
enactment of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax 
(GST), and the abolition of the Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT), as in troduced under Prime Minister 
Modi’s leadership. In addition, Japan commends India’s efforts to improve its business environment 
and attract foreign investment through simplifying its tax system and administrative procedures, 
which have long been concerns to Japanese businesses.  
4.78.   Turning to trade policy, Japan acknowledges that India’s 16 Regional Trade Agreements 
(RTAs) have taken effect and various RTAs are currently under negotiation. Japan appreciates India’s 
engagement to further complement the Multila teral Trading System through these RTAs. Also, 
regarding India’s decision to withdraw from the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic 
Partnership (RCEP), Japan wishes to reiterate the importance of India’s participation in the RCEP 
and looks fo rward to maintaining our close communication on this matter.  
4.79.   Japan acknowledges India’s contribution to developing the Multilateral Trading System as a 
key Member that occupies a large amount of trade volume in both goods and services. In this regard, 
Japan appreciates India for joining the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the Information 
Technology Agreement (ITA). We look forward to seeing India join the expanded ITA.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.80.   Japan commends India’s measures to enhance trade facilitation, notably its introd uction of 
the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the Single Window Interface for Facilitation 
of Trade (SWIFT). We are also pleased to note the latest amendment to the Foreign Trade Policy 
(FTP) in 2017, including a reduction in the number of  documents required for export and import, 
and the establishment of the National Committee on Trade Facilitation.  
4.81.   India has been striving to strengthen the competitiveness of its domestic industries under the 
“Make in India” and “Self -reliant India” initia tives. At the same time, however, India has been taking 
trade -restrictive measures such as raising tariff rates and import restrictions in order to protect its 
domestic industries.  
4.82.   Under the “Make in India” policy, India has been successively raising cust oms duties on ICT 
products, including smartphones, which is not in line with its duty -free commitments in the WTO. 
We call on India to eliminate these measures as early as possible and to abolish other import 
restrictive measures on appliances such as air conditioners as well as TVs.  
4.83.   Regarding India’s technical standardization for steel products, the applications for product 
certification have not been approved within a reasonable time by the Ministry of Steel. Furthermore, 
applicants have been additionally  required to shift to local procurement and to submit a plan for 
future technical assistance for domestic enterprises. We are concerned about the possibility of India 
administering these schemes in an improper manner.  
4.84.   On food measures taken by India, such as food labelling regulations and minimum date 
durability requirements, we would like to ask India to prove the scientific rationale behind the 
measures and we do hope India will implement them in a way that is not unnecessarily restrictive 
and in accordan ce with the WTO requirements.  
4.85.   In 2015, India launched the Digital India Initiative in order to expand its digital trade. In 
terms of promoting the entry of foreign enterprises into India’s services market, Japan is interested 
in how India aims to implement  its trade policy to develop the major service sectors including 
computers and information, as well as telecommunication.  
4.86.   In conclusion, Japan appreciates India’s efforts to improve its trade environment since the 
previous review. At the same time, we enco urage India to address the issues we have addressed 
today. We thank India for the answers it has provided to our written questions.  
4.87.   Last but not least, Japan wishes India a very successful and productive Review.  
NORWAY  
4.88.   Norway would like to join others in w elcoming the delegation from India to this Trade Policy 
Review and thank the Secretariat and the Government of India for their reports.  
4.89.   Like India, Norway attaches great importance to the multilateral trading system and the vital 
role of the WTO. India is  an original member of the WTO and a key player. India's active and 
constructive role in ongoing negotiations and reform efforts is both expected and required in order 
to build a multilateral trading system that is both resilient and relevant to the challe nges of the 21st 
century.  
4.90.   The pandemic has made us crucially aware of the interdependency of the world and of both 
the strength and fragility of the international trading system. Access to markets, operational supply 
chains and open trade routes are key to  ensure access to essential goods during the pandemic, as 
well as for economic reconstruction and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 
post-COVID.  
4.91.   The bilateral Ocean Dialogue between India and Norway as well as cooperation on the “Blue 
Economy” agenda are at the center of our engagement with India. Closely related to this agenda is 
a successful conclusion of the fisheries subsidies negotiations in the WTO, which is important for 
reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 14.6). Many  such subsidies undermine the 
livelihood of fishers, their families and communities, both in the short and long term. Eliminating WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing is vital, in all waters and in all parts of the 
world.  
4.92.   India and No rway enjoy a strong and longstanding commercial relationship. The Norwegian 
Pension Fund Global is one of India’s largest single foreign financial investors, with approximately 
USD 9.4 billion invested in various Indian companies. Indian nationals constitu te the largest group 
of migrant workers in Norway from outside the Schengen Area. More than 120 Norwegian companies 
operate in India, and trade between our countries is growing steadily.  
4.93.   We believe, however, that there is a large untapped potential for tr ade and investment. We 
value the establishment in 2019 of the Indo -Norwegian Dialogue on Trade and Investments to take 
this collaboration further. Cooperation in health -related technology, shipping, aquaculture, 
renewable energy, and smart grids are exampl es of areas being discussed.  
4.94.   Furthermore, we are confident that a free -trade agreement between India and the EFTA states 
would bring bilateral trade to a new level. We hope to see renewed engagement and a resumption 
of the protracted negotiations with a vi ew to conclude an agreement to the benefit of all parties. 
This is a top priority for the Norwegian government and our business community.   
4.95.   In the 2015 Nairobi Ministerial Decision on export competition, developing members were 
given a prolonged deadline for phasing out export subsidies, in conformity with article 9.4 in the 
Agreement on Agriculture. We have in our written questions asked whether India consider the price 
support for skimmed milk powder to be consistent with the Nairobi Ministerial Decision  on export 
competition. We thank the delegation of India for the reply provided yesterday, which we will study 
carefully.  
4.96.   Another priority area for Norway is open market access for maritime transportation. We have 
taken good note of the information in the  report from the Secretariat (paragraph 4.152) that India 
has relaxed the cabotage rules for certain vessels and commodity types for foreign flagged vessels. 
At the same time, we note with some concern the information in the Report (paragraph 4.149) 
regard ing measures to stimulate transportation by Indian built vessels, by a so -called “right of first 
refusal” measure.  
4.97.   Against this background, we have raised a question regarding the impact of this measure, 
and how this measure relates to the principles of f reedom of navigation and merchant shipping, as 
well as the WTO rules for trade in goods. We thank the delegation of India for the reply provided 
yesterday, which we will study carefully.  
4.98.   In conclusion, I would like to wish the delegation of India a succes sful TPR.  
CHILE  
4.99.   Saludamos a la delegación de la India, encabezada por el Dr. Anup Wadhawan , Secretario del 
Departamento de Comercio, y felicitamos a este país por ser parte una vez más de este necesario 
ejercicio de transparencia.  
4.100.   Un cordial saludo, asimismo, al Representante Permanente de la India ante la OMC, 
Embajador Brajendra Navnit, así como al equipo de esa Misión. Queremos, igualmente, agradecer 
la presentación efectuada por la Representante Permanente de Tailandia, embajadora Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij, así como el excelente trabajo realizado por la Secretaría y por el Gobierno de la India,  
en cuanto a la preparación de sus respectivos informes.  
4.101.   Las relaciones entre Chile y la India datan de 1949. Desde entonces, los vínculos se han indo 
incrementando en todos los niveles lo cual se ha visto reflejado en una gran cantidad de visitas de 
altas autoridades lo que ha permitido estrechar las relaciones políticas y comerciales entre ambos 
países. La más reciente, fue la visita que realizó a Chile el Presidente Ram Nath Kovind, en abril de 
2019, ocasión en la que se firmaron una serie de acuerdos.  
4.102.   Durante el período objeto de examen de la India, nos resulta destacable su fuerte 
crecimiento económico, con una tasa media del 7,4% hasta 2018/2019. Ello tuvo positivos efectos 
para su economía lo que se vio reflejado, por ejemplo, en el ranking “Doing Bu siness 2020” del WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  Banco Mundial, donde India saltó 14 posiciones, al puesto 63, ubicándose por tercer año consecutivo 
entre las 10 naciones que más mejoraron. Los principales avances se produjeron en resolución de 
insolvencias, permisos de construcción, com ercio transfronterizo y creación de empresas. No 
obstante, el impacto del COVID -19 sobre el país ha sido fuerte. Ello, al igual que en todo el mundo, 
tendrá un severo impacto en su crecimiento, aunque se estima que tendrá una rápida recuperación 
en 2021. Esperamos que así ocurra.  
4.103.   En cuanto a la formulación y aplicación de su política comercial, no se aprecian grandes 
cambios desde el último Examen. Si bien destacamos que durante el presente período objeto de 
examen, la India aplicó varias medidas destinadas  a facilitar el comercio, también ha seguido 
modificando frecuentemente sus políticas y medidas comerciales con objeto de atender las 
preocupaciones internas.  
4.104.   De tal manera, con el objeto de apoyar la producción nacional y las exportaciones, India 
sigue o freciendo una serie de incentivos en forma de subvenciones directas y programas de 
sostenimiento de los precios, concesiones o exenciones arancelarias o tipos de interés preferenciales. 
Muchos de estos programas están orientados a sectores específicos, ent re ellos, la agricultura.  
4.105.   En este ámbito, apreciamos que se siguen aplicando restricciones a las importaciones y las 
exportaciones, contingentes arancelarios, el régimen de comercio de Estado, así como precios 
mínimos de importación, con el fin de cumplir sus objetivos de seguridad alimentaria. Si bien ello es 
entendible, varias de estas medidas se traducen en la concesión de importantes ayudas -tanto 
directas como indirectas - a sus agricultores. Lamentablemente, por los grandes volúmenes 
involucrados, esas  ayudas internas tienen un nocivo impacto en el comercio agrícola mundial pues 
generan distorsiones que van en contra de los acuerdos suscritos sobre esta materia en el seno de 
la OMC.  
4.106.   En el ámbito comercial bilateral, Chile e India firmaron un Acuerdo de Alcance Parcial (AAP) 
en marzo del 2006, el cual entró en vigor el 17 de agosto del 2007. Posteriormente, el 16 de mayo 
de 2017 entró en vigor la Ampliación del Acuerdo de Alcance Parcial (AAAP). De tal manera, el 10 y 
11 de diciembre de 2019 se realizó la  Primera Ronda de Negociaciones de este último, en Nueva 
Delhi. Entre los principales resultados de la reunión, se acordaron las reglas de procedimiento de los 
Comités de Medidas Sanitarias y Fitosanitarias, y Obstáculos Técnicos al Comercio. La segunda ro nda 
de negociación se efectuará mediante videoconferencia. Por el momento, se está a la espera que 
India concluya sus consultas internas para definir la oferta arancelaria que presentará.  
4.107.   Otros acuerdos suscritos entre ambos países son el Acuerdo para evit ar la Doble Tributación, 
firmado en marzo de 2020; y el Acuerdo de Servicios Aéreos, vigente desde septiembre del 2010.  
4.108.   Si bien la suscripción de tales acuerdos ha permitido un importante incremento del comercio 
bilateral desde 2015 hasta el 2019, entre en ero y octubre de 2020 se ha registrado una fuerte caída. 
Ello como efecto de la pandemia y, también, debido a algunas de las medidas que se han adoptado 
para enfrentarla.  
4.109.   En este ámbito, habría que señalar que, en mayo de 2020, el Ministerio de Finanzas de  la 
India dio a conocer el alza de aranceles de importación al mercado de ese país de las nueces con 
cáscara, frescas o secas, desde un 30% a un 100%. Al respecto, cabe mencionar que Chile es el 
segundo mayor exportador de nueces a la India, enviándose en 2017, más de 5.000 toneladas, las 
cuales representaron USD 19,6 millones, un 87% más que el año anterior. Ello indicaba un 
interesante crecimiento del comercio en este rubro el que, por ahora, se ha desacelerado. Las 
conversaciones a alto nivel han continu ado durante el último tiempo y esperamos poder resolver 
ésta y otras situaciones a la brevedad posible.  
4.110.   Para este examen, Chile formuló 25 preguntas que abarcaron una serie de temas como el 
fortalecimiento del sistema multilateral, subvenciones a la pesca , medidas que afectan directamente 
a las importaciones, subvenciones agrícolas, servicios financieros, telecomunicaciones y transporte 
aéreo, entre otros. Ellas son del interés de Chile y buscan mejorar la relación comercial bilateral. 
Junto con agradecer desde ya la entrega de las respectivas respuestas, le deseamos a la India una 
exitosa revisión de su séptimo Examen de política comercial.   
  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  THE SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU  
4.111.   On behalf of the Separate Customs Territory of  Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, we 
would like to extend our warm welcome to Dr. Anup Wadhawan and his delegation for India’s 7th 
Trade Policy Review.  
4.112.   We also thank Ambassador Sunanta for her discussions, as well as the Secretariat for the 
excellent wor k in preparing the report. We trust this TRP will be very constructive.  
4.113.   On India’s economic performance, we are pleased to note that its economic growth continued 
to be robust for most part of the review period, averaging an impressive 7.4% all the way to the 
fiscal year of 2018. A number of ambitious policies and reforms have been implemented during this 
period. In particular, the long -awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) was successfully introduced in 
2017. The GST effectively alleviated the concerns of t raders and investors about complex tax 
structures and issues of double taxation. This was a remarkable achievement in tax reform.  
4.114.   The Indian Government’s unwavering commitment on improving business environment and 
modernizing infrastructures is also commen dable. Several measures have been taken to facilitate 
trade flow. They reduce restriction on foreign investment, simplify administrative procedures, and 
digitalize numerous government services. As a result of these reforms, India’s ranking in the World 
Bank’s Ease of Doing Business significantly advanced from 142nd in 2015 to 63rd in 2019. These 
impressive accomplishments may well explain the substantial increase of FDI inflow in recent years 
and the highest ever record of USD 74.4 billion in 2019.  
4.115.   Turning  to our bilateral relationship, India is an indispensable partner in our New Southbound 
Policy. In 2019, our bilateral trade with India was USD 5.7 billion in value, which made India our 
17th largest trading partner. Our investments in India also increased  rapidly in recent years, 
covering the ICT, steel, machinery, auto parts, and plastics sectors totalling USD 2 billion. It is 
estimated that these investments have brought more than 65,000 job opportunities in India. These 
figures indicate that our bilater al economic and trade ties are robust and prosperous.  
4.116.   Building on these strengths, I would like to highlight a few areas of India’s trade policy and 
practices which we invite India to consider improving.  
4.117.   Firstly, as indicated in the Secretariat’s report, the frequent change of tariff rates has created 
uncertainty for traders and investors. A transparent and predictable tariff regime enables enterprises 
to make the best business decisions according to the prevailing market condition. On the contrary, 
freque nt, or unexpected tariff increases leave trading partners and investors with no time to adjust 
their business plans. In some cases, unexpected tariff increase had caused disruption of market 
order and even led to failure of some well -planned investment pro jects.  
4.118.   Secondly, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced last June that an import 
restrictive measure has been imposed on new pneumatic tyres. Since then, foreign companies have 
encountered difficulties in obtaining import licenses from the  Indian authority for the aftermarket 
tyres. We urge India to observe the rules provided in the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures. 
In particular, non -automatic licensing procedures should be implemented in a transparent and 
predictable manner and sh ould have no trade -restrictive or trade distortive effects on imports.  
4.119.   Thirdly, a number of technical regulations concerning mandatory product certification has 
become barriers to market access for foreign traders during the COVID -19 pandemic. For example,  
acquiring a Standard Mark from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) would require on -site factory 
visit. However, the current pandemic has made the timely on -site factory visit very difficult or even 
impossible for manufacturers located outside India. Wit hout completing the required process, those 
foreign manufactures are not able to have access to the market as planned. We would urge India to 
consider a suspension of, or a temporary exemption from, the on -site factory visit requirements for 
foreign manufa cturers during the difficult pandemic period.  
4.120.   Lastly, we note that India remains one of the frequent users of anti -dumping measures. 
During the review period of 2015 -2019, India initiated 233 investigations, which was a sharp 
increase from 82 investigation s during the previous review period. While we respect India’s 
legitimate use of the measure to tackle unfair trade practices, we urge India to take a more prudent WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  approach when initiating anti -dumping investigations so as to ensure a fair and transparent 
procedure and to avoid the measure becoming a systemic barrier to trade.  
4.121.   Let me also take this opportunity to commend Ambassador Brajendra Navnit for his 
leadership in advocating development agendas in the WTO. We remain ready to work constructively 
with In dia on matters of our mutual interests.  
UKRAINE  
4.122.   On behalf of Ukraine, I would like to welcome the delegation of India led by Dr. Anup 
Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce, and express our appreciation for his constructive 
engagement in this TPR exer cise. We also appreciate the substantial work of the TPRB Chair, the 
WTO Secretariat and the meaningful analysis of the discussant, H.E. Ms Sunanta Kangvalkulkij 
(Thailand).  
4.123.   The seventh Trade Policy Review of India provides us a good opportunity to unders tand 
recent developments in the country’s economic, trade and investment policies since its last Review.  
4.124.   We commend India for its strong economic growth for most of the period under review, 
averaging 7.4%, which also led to an improvement in socio-economic indicators, such as per -capita 
income and life expectancy.  
4.125.   Ukraine acknowledges efforts of the Government of India in the implementation of structural 
reforms and in ensuring inclusive growth and believes that these reforms, along with a num ber of 
short- and longer -term measures undertaken for minimizing the adverse economic impact of 
COVID -19, will enable India to bounce back on its targeted growth path.  
4.126.   We appreciate the improvement in the trading environment resulted in gaining higher 
positions of India in the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking (from 142 in 2015 to 63 in 2019), in 
the Global Innovation Index (from 81 in 2015 to 52 in 2019) and in the World Bank Logistics 
Performance Index (from 54 in 2014 to 44 in 2018). These developments  witnessed positive changes 
in the Indian business climate and suggest more confidence for traders.  
4.127.   At a multilateral level, we would like to emphasize India’s commitment to the WTO rules and 
principles and its active participation in the efforts to safegu ard and strengthen the multilateral 
trading system, which is transparent and inclusive. We note steps made by India in trade facilitation 
area such as a reduction in the number of documents required, and the automation of the customs 
clearance system for i mports and exports. Ukraine is also thankful to India for its initiatives and call 
for joint actions and global solidarity aimed at putting in place a collective response to the COVID -19 
pandemic.  
4.128.   In terms of our bilateral trade relations, India is an impo rtant trading partner of Ukraine.  
4.129.   According to the trade statistics, our bilateral trade in goods and services increased by 1.3% 
in 2017 -2019 to USD 2.9 billion with a substantial increase in trade in services (by 43.2% during 
the mentioned period). As of  January -September 2020, our bilateral trade amounted to 
USD 1.8 billion (decreased by 7,1%), exports of goods - decreased by 8.3%, imports - decreased 
by 4.2%. Our bilateral merchandise trade covers significant range of agricultural and industrial 
goods.  
4.130.   Within this TPR, Ukraine has submitted a number of specific questions related to bilateral 
investment agreements, granting FDI approvals, applied tariffs for some agricultural goods, import 
prohibitions, application of minimum import prices, import licensi ng, the TRQ fill rate for raw sugar, 
regulations on financial services, national IPR policy.  
4.131.   While expressing gratitude for the given responses, we are looking forward to developing 
further partnership and enhanced trade with India and wish the delegation of India successful TPR.  
  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  BRAZIL  
4.132.   I extend a warm welcome to the Indian delegation, headed Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary 
of the Department of Commerce and to the Indian team in Geneva, led by Ambassador Brajendra 
Navnit. I thank you, Chair, for the very use ful introduction, and the discussant, Ambassador Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij, for her very thoughtful comments, as well as the Secretariat, for its report.  
4.133.   My delegation gives the highest importance to engaging in this Trade Policy Review, as both 
our countries have longstanding and deep ties in the international arena, forged by shared values 
such as democracy and the rule of law.  
4.134.   For almost fifteen years, Brazil and India have formed a Strategic Partnership aimed at 
harnessing the significant convergence of in terests and the development aspirations of both 
countries. The bilateral agenda has been dynamic, spanning cooperation initiatives in science and 
technology, defence, culture, education, energy, space, and environment. The two countries also 
cooperate inte nsely in international organizations and groupings, such as the G20, BRICS, and IBSA.  
4.135.   This strategic partnership has recently been rekindled by the State visit of President Jair 
Bolsonaro on January 2020 for the Republic Day celebrations, upon the invitati on of Prime -Minister 
Modi. On the occasion, both leaders committed to doubling bilateral trade by 2022 and important 
agreements were signed, such as the Investment Facilitation and Cooperation Agreement and a 
Memorandum of Understanding on Bioenergy.  
4.136.   The Indian Government has given clear indication, as stated in its report, of its commitment 
to overcoming the country’s structural bottlenecks, as well as extending economic benefits across 
all social strata. Brazil greatly commends India on the ultimate under lying objective of these reforms: 
improve the quality of life for the common citizen. That is also the fundamental purpose of all our 
national public policies. These policies should encourage more trade convergence and ease of trade 
flows as to properly ca pture the shared benefits of commerce.  
4.137.   In particular, Brazil recognizes India’s efforts of administrative, labor and agricultural 
reforms of the last few years, modernizing various sectors of its economy. These initiatives are in 
marked contrast, however, with the recently adopted “Self -reliant India” policies, particularly 
industrial support measures contingent on local content. In the same vein, Brazil also views with 
concern recent tariff hikes on its already high tariff schedule. We are concerned that t hese 
movements tend towards less trade, hindering advances of the Indian economy.  
4.138.   We also recognize Indian efforts in its reform to liberalize its agricultural sector and would 
like to see this same effort from India in WTO negotiations in agriculture. Ind ia could be more 
constructive in agricultural negotiations, especially on a less contentious issue, such as to exempt 
the World Food Program from the scope of export restrictions, a proposal that has had India's support 
in the G20 since 2011. This is even more worrying if one interprets it as part of a political stance 
against meaningful outcomes in agriculture in MC -12. The lack of progress in agriculture at the next 
Ministerial Conference puts the future of multilateral agricultural negotiations at risk a nd might 
consolidate the perception that it will be necessary to invest in new negotiating formats in order to 
promote reform and address this "unfinished business" at the WTO.  
4.139.   We also regret that India’s domestic agriculture reforms did not include the su gar sector. 
India’s longstanding support measures for sugar and sugarcane are suppressing global prices by up 
to 25% and cause losses of around USD 1.3 billion per year. Brazil is the world’s largest sugar 
exporter, so these measures are specially damaging  to Brazilian producers. Brazil, together with 
Australia and Guatemala, has initiated dispute settlement proceedings questioning these 
programmes and hopes that India reforms the sector, by removing trade -distorting subsidies and 
minimum -price rules for th e sector. On the other hand, Brazil commends India’s efforts in increasing 
levels of ethanol blended in its fuel, moving away from harmful intervention in the sugar market, 
and stands ready to cooperate in the area, as per the aforementioned MoU.  
4.140.   Finally, on sanitary issues, we welcome India’s approval of the international sanitary 
certificate for Brazilian poultry, but have concerns regarding “non -GMO” certification for certain 
agricultural products.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.141.   The COVID -19 pandemic negatively affected trade flows a round the world and our bilateral 
trade is no exception. Trade flows in 2020 retracted around 7% from a total of USD 7.1 billion in 
2019, with sugar corresponding to almost 20% of Brazilian export to India. The bilateral investment 
landscape is much more d eveloped, with Indian pharmaceutical, information technology and 
infrastructure companies in Brazil, and Brazilian joint ventures in the areas of firearms and munitions 
and transportation. The recent signing of the investment facilitation agreement will ce rtainly further 
promote mutual investment. Brazil is convinced that there is ample potential to deepen and intensify 
investment flows and trade in goods and services with India.  
4.142.   Brazil has sent questions on the aforementioned minimum -price policies, sanita ry issues, 
tariff hikes, as well as certain export restrictions and licenses. We thank the written replies to our 
questions and look forward to additional responses. They will be forwarded to Brasilia for 
examination and follow -up as appropriate.  
4.143.   Brazil wi shes India a very successful and productive Trade Policy Review.  
ICELAND  
4.144.   Iceland welcomes Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce – and the 
distinguished delegation of India to their seventh Trade Policy Review – and we express appreciation 
to the WTO Secretariat, as well as to India, for the reports prepared for this trade policy review, as 
well as the discussant, Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij from Thailand for her excellent framing 
of the issues for our discussion today.  
4.145.   Prior to the COVID -19 pandemic, India had been experiencing strong economic growth and 
average GDP growth rate of 7.4% until 2018/19. Iceland welcomes the various initiatives undertaken 
by India for raising productivity and inclusive growth.  
4.146.   India is conducting bilateral free trade negotiations with a number of trading partners. The 
EFTA States, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein have been engaged in free trade negotiations with India 
since 2008. A total of 16 rounds have been held. India is a ver y important trading partner for the 
EFTA states and continued negotiations are a high priority for Iceland. Bilateral trade between 
Iceland and India has been steadily increasing in the last years.  
4.147.   As the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic are still unfoldin g, new challenges arise related to 
trade and trade -related activities. It is now widely recognized that women are likely to be harder hit 
than men by trade disruptions caused by the pandemic.  
4.148.   In September 2020, a group of WTO Members agreed to establish a n Informal Working 
Group on Trade and Gender, marking the next phase of the Buenos Aires initiative kick -started in 
2017 to increase the participation of women in trade.  
4.149.   The trade policy review provides an excellent opportunity to share best practices of 
respective experiences relating to policies and programmes to encourage women's participation in 
national and international trade and thus promoting sustainable socioeconomic development.  
4.150.   Iceland submitted advance written questions on the participation of  women in the economy 
of India. The answers will be useful as we gather best practices.  
4.151.   Iceland appreciates India’s active engagement in WTO and their continued support for the 
multilateral trading system. We wish the delegation of India every success for their seventh Trade 
Policy Review.  
SINGAPORE  ON BEHALF  OF ASEAN  
4.152.   Singapore is making this statement on behalf of ASEAN. It is a great pleasure to warmly 
welcome virtually, India’s delegation headed by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of 
Commerce to their 7th Trade Policy Review. We would also like to thank H.E. Ambassador Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij of Thailand for her role as discussant and the Secretariat for their excellent report.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.153.   ASEAN -India dialogue relations have grown rapidly from a sectoral dialogue partnership in 
1992 to a full dialogue partnership in Decemb er 1995. The relationship was further elevated with 
the convening of the ASEAN -India Summit in 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia based on the close 
historical and cultural ties that served as the fundamental interest of both regions. Ever since, India 
has becom e a key trade and investment partner for ASEAN.  
4.154.   Total two -way merchandise trade between ASEAN and India grew by 9.8 per cent from 
USD 73.6 billion in 2017 to USD 80.8 billion in 2018 and bilateral trade between ASEAN and India 
reached USD 77.0 billion in 2 019, based on preliminary ASEAN data. This has placed India as 
ASEAN’s sixth largest trading partner.  
4.155.   India was also ASEAN’s eight largest external source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) 
between 2014 -2018 with FDI flows from India to ASEAN amounting to USD 5.8 billion. Meanwhile, 
foreign direct investments (FDI) flow from India to ASEAN increased by 54% from USD  1.02 billion 
in 2018 to USD 1.89 billion in 2019.  
4.156.   ASEAN also welcomes the Seventeenth AEM -India Consultation on 29 August 2020 in sharing 
views  on the multilateral trading system as a driver for economic recovery in the post -pandemic 
period and specifically, on the commencement of the scoping exercise for the review of the AITIGA 
to upgrade the AITIGA to be more user -friendly, simple, and trade f acilitative for businesses. ASEAN 
looks forward to further strengthening bilateral ties and collaboration to enhance trade and 
investment with India.  
4.157.   ASEAN would like to thank India for providing fund to ASEAN to support for implementing 
Plan of Action of ASEAN -India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity (2016 -2020). 
ASEAN looks forward to continued cooperation with India to advance the implementation of the 
future direction of ASEAN -India Strategic Partnership through the implementation of the new Plan 
of Action (2021 -2025) and other programs (such as revising the Rules of Operation and Management 
of ASEAN -India Green Fund (AIGF), and other Engagement).  
4.158.   The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID -19) pandemic has brought unprecedented 
challenges, in  which ASEAN and India have reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing collaboration 
as well as accelerating the post -pandemic recovery process in both the ASEAN region and India.  
4.159.   ASEAN acknowledges the important contributions by India in strengthening the Wor ld Trade 
Organization (WTO), including on the subject of WTO reform. Together with India, ASEAN reaffirms 
our strong commitment to uphold an open, inclusive, transparent, non -discriminatory and rules -
based multilateral trading system as embodied in the WTO . 
4.160.   Some ASEAN Member States have submitted written questions to India. We would like to 
express our appreciation in advance to India and look forward to having its written responses.  
4.161.   Finally, we would like to conclude our remarks by expressing our appreciat ion for India’s 
continued support for ASEAN, and to the delegation of India for their hard work at the WTO. Our 
appreciation also goes to H.E. Ambassador Brajendra Navnit, the Permanent Representative of India 
to the WTO and his team for their close and go od cooperation between our Missions here in Geneva. 
We wish India every success for its 7th Trade Policy Review.  
SINGAPORE  
4.162.   Singapore welcomes the Indian delegation led by Dr Wadhawan, Secretary of the 
Department of Commerce. We thank India for the comprehe nsive Government report and statement. 
We also thank TPRB Chair, Ambassador Aspelund, the Secretariat, and the discussant, Ambassador 
Sunanta of Thailand for their insightful perspectives. Allow me to make three points.  
4.163.   First, India and Singapore are strat egic partners with longstanding economic ties. Bilateral 
economic relations are anchored by the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), 
which was signed in 2005. CECA is an ambitious bilateral FTA that has provided a firm foundation 
for bilate ral economic relations to blossom. In 2019, bilateral trade totaled USD 18.3 billion, making 
India Singapore’s 10th largest trading partner. The two -way investment flows have also continued WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  to grow significantly. In recent years, Singapore has become the t op foreign investor in India1, 
reflecting our continued confidence in India’s economic growth. Notably, our strong bilateral 
partnership has remained resilient in the face of the COVID -19 pandemic. India and Singapore have 
ensured that supply chains are k ept intact and facilitated the flow of essential health supplies and 
food products, among others.  
4.164.   Second,  as a founding Member of the WTO and a major trading nation, India has benefitted 
from the rules -based multilateral trading system. India's merchandis e trade as a share of GDP is 
sizeable, at around 30%. Its exports and imports have averaged annual growth of around 8% and 
11% respectively.2 In this context, it is logical to assume that India’s national interests are best 
served by strengthening the WTO , especially in recent years when the rules -based multilateral 
trading system has faced unprecedented challenges. Hence, India has maintained an active role in 
the WTO and convened two informal mini -ministerial meetings in March 2018 and May 2019.  
4.165.   Going f orward, we hope that India will continue to play an important role in the WTO by 
taking a constructive and pragmatic approach that will enable the WTO to deliver substantive 
outcomes and buttress its relevance. This is urgent as the WTO is at a crossroads and it must adapt 
and reform to meet modern business realities. Now, more than ever, Members must look to the 
future rather than harp on the past.   
4.166.   Third, Singapore continues to have confidence that India’s vast economic potential can be 
realized by sharp ening some aspects of its trade policy.  
• One, we note that India’s trade policy has remained largely unchanged since the previous 
TPR, with continued heavy reliance on instruments such as the tariff, export taxes, minimum 
import prices, import and export r estrictions, and licensing. While this has shielded the 
domestic economy from some fluctuations, the frequent policy changes have created 
uncertainties for businesses.   
• Two, Singapore is pleased to note that India has taken steps to improve trade facilitation, 
as seen through the development of a national single window, creation of an electronic 
certificate of origin platform and ratification of the WTO Trade Facilitation Ag reement (TFA). 
We encourage India to simplify its criteria for import and export documentation.  
• Three , Singapore welcomes India’s policies to invest in infrastructure development, and its 
openness to working with foreign investors to expand the sector. We  urge India to sustain 
the continuous easing of regulatory approvals for infrastructure investments. Additionally, 
we hope India will provide more transparency and certainty on related processes.  
 
4.167.   To conclude, Singapore will continue to strengthen our cooperation with India at all levels. 
We wish India every success for this TPR.  
UNITED  KINGDOM  
4.168.   On behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, I am pleased to welcome the Indian delegation led 
by Secretary Dr. Anup Wadhawan. I would also like to expr ess our gratitude to the Government of 
India and to colleagues from the WTO Secretariat for their respective reports. I would also like to 
thank you, Chair, and Her Excellency Ms. Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, the discussant, for facilitating this 
Trade Policy Re view. 
4.169.   Since its last Trade Policy Review in 2015, India has made several economic reforms 
including the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax, successive liberalisation of sectoral FDI 
caps, and the wide -ranging business environment reforms aimed at m aking at -and-behind the 
border processes more efficient. We welcome the steps taken by the Government of India to 
liberalise its market and its work towards addressing market barriers with the United Kingdom.  
4.170.   We also welcome the Government of India’s rati fication of the Trade Facilitation Agreement 
on 22 April 2016 and the fact that it has implemented 78.2% of its commitments so far. We support 
every effort to implement the remaining TFA commitments by February 2022.  
 
1 Fact Sheet on Foreign Direct Investment , from April 2000 to September 2020.  Department for Promotion 
of Industry and Internal Trade. Accessed in December 2020.  
2 WTO Secretariat r eport, page 26.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.171.   However, there remain several areas wh ich we would like to bring to the Government of 
India’s attention, and we hope that in doing so we can address these areas to facilitate increased 
trade between our countries. For example, we think greater harmonisation with international 
technical standar ds, and more predictability for foreign investors in import/export policy could help 
boost foreign direct investment and job creation in India.  
4.172.   We appreciate India’s timely responses to our written questions and look forward to receiving 
answers to the fo llow-up questions we have submitted.  
4.173.   India is a significant trading partner to the United Kingdom, in both goods and services, and 
our countries share a mutual commitment to work together to increase prosperity both within and 
beyond our own borders. The C OVID pandemic has underlined in particular the importance of the 
strong healthcare ties between our two countries, and we will continue to work with the Government 
of India to provide the best quality healthcare to our respective citizens.  
4.174.   We would like t o thank our Indian counterparts for their continued engagement and wish 
them a successful Trade Policy Review.  
SWITZERLAND  
4.175.   I would like to extend a very warm welcome to India’s delegation led by H.E. Dr. Anup 
Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce. Le t me also thank the discussant, H.E. 
Mrs Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Thailand), for her thoughtful observations and the Secretariat for their 
substantive contributions to this trade policy review.  
4.176.   India's economy continued its strong growth during the period un der review to become the 
4th largest economy in the world. The continuous economic reforms of the Indian Government that 
focus on increasing efficiency and inclusiveness did contribute to this positive development and led 
to an improvement in socio -economi c indicators, such as per -capita income and life expectancy. We 
expect that this tremendous economic performance will map into a higher level of India’s integration 
into the global economy and a larger contribution to world trade. In this regard, we regret  that the 
average applied tariff rate has been continuously on the rise since 2014 to reach a level of 14.3% 
in 2020.  
4.177.   We took note of the self -reliant India programme, which aims at reducing India's dependence 
on imports and promoting India as a net export er, particularly in some key areas, such as medical 
devices, defence technology, coal, and minerals. We expect this policy will not translate into further 
trade -restrictive policies.  
4.178.   The COVID -19 pandemic is significantly affecting the Indian population an d its economy. In 
order to best absorb the economic impact of the pandemic, India has adopted a comprehensive 
stabilization and stimulus package amounting to 10% of India's GDP. Within this context, we would 
like to encourage the Indian authorities to dire ct the economic and trade policy measures more 
towards integration into global value chains. Competition should be fostered by dismantling existing 
barriers to foreign trade and foreign investment.  
4.179.   Switzerland has well taken note of India's decision not to  join for the time being the Regional 
Comprehensive Economic Partnership, RCEP. We also noticed that despite many ongoing 
negotiations India did not conclude any broad -based trade agreement in the period under review. 
Indeed, Switzerland and the other EFTA  States have been negotiating a Trade and Economic 
Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with India for 13 years now. In these challenging times the conclusion 
of comprehensive trade agreements such as the TEPA could in our view contribute to economic 
recovery for all parties.  
4.180.   Switzerland had submitted a series of questions in writing. We are thankful to India for 
providing answers in due course. This said, we would have preferred to have more time to review 
the answers, in particular because this TPR process sprea ds over 2020 and 2021 with a holiday 
break in the middle. An alternative timeline would have been a relevant option in this regard.  
4.181.   Switzerland raised concerns over a number of aspects, including taxes on the importation of 
watches, input subsidies to farm ers for fertilizer, irrigation and electricity, increase in import tariffs WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  and certain applications of import prohibitions. We recall the importance of providing sufficient 
information to guarantee transparency of the implementation of these regulations in  order to avoid 
unnecessary burden to the economic operators.  
4.182.   To conclude, let me thank the Indian delegation’s active engagement in this Trade Policy 
Review. We hope that, with the help of the COVID -19 crisis measures, the Indian economy will soon 
return  to its growth path following a stronger and more diversified integration into the world 
economy.  
4.183.   We wish India a successful Trade Policy Review.  
ISRAEL  
4.184.   Israel would like to thank you, the Discussant H.E. Ms. Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Thailand), 
and the Secre tariat for the detailed reports. Israel also welcomes Dr. Anup Wadhawan as the head 
of delegation.  
4.185.   In modern history, Israel and India's ties began mostly through trade, and some records 
indicate that trade between our people goes back to the 10th century  BC. During the last couple of 
decades, and specifically since 1992, our ties have grown closer in many areas, including trade, 
investment, and innovation.  
4.186.   Back in 1992, the trade between India and Israel amounted to only USD 200 million. As per 
2019 data, our bilateral trade amounts to USD 5.65 billion, not including services. India is Israel's 
third-largest trade partner in Asia and the seventh largest glob ally.  
4.187.   Main exports from India to Israel include precious stones and metals, chemical products, 
machinery, agricultural products and foodstuffs, rubber and plastics and transportation products; 
Main exports from Israel to India include precious stones and metals, machinery, optical and medical 
products and chemical products.  
4.188.   Although trade between our countries has steadily grown for the past few years, there is still 
plenty of potential for further growth and Israel is very interested in exploring new are as for 
commercial cooperation with India.  
4.189.   In what relates to Israel -India trade and innovation ties, there has been a growing trend of 
diversification across several sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture and ICT. In this regard, 
the close cooperati on and knowledge exchange between Israel and India in the field of agriculture 
and water technologies, is worth noting. This cooperation includes establishment of Centers of 
Excellence in various agriculture sectors across India, exchange of experts and fa rmers' delegations 
and more.  
4.190.   Trade in services has become significantly more important for our economies in recent years. 
India is well known for its expertise in high tech services; the share of trade in services in India's 
GDP has grown steadily and acc ounted for 49% in 2018. According to 2019 data, trade in services 
between our countries amounted to USD 600 million and includes research and development, 
computer services, advertising and market research services and maintenance services.  
4.191.   Israel's econo mic ties with India are growing: Indian software companies, notably TCS, 
Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and Wipro, are expanding their Israeli market presence. In this regard, we 
encourage India to join the JSI on e -commerce since we recognize we could all benefi t from India's 
participation.  
4.192.   During this TPR exercise, Israel submitted some questions to India and looks forward to 
reviewing the replies. The areas of interest for Israel include e -commerce, import policy and 
licensing, telecommunication, and intellectu al property.  
4.193.   As we begin a new year and hope it will be prosperous for all our nations, Israel looks forward 
to continuing the close collaboration with India and its delegation in Geneva.  
4.194.   Israel wishes India a successful TPR.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  COSTA  RICA 
4.195.   En nombre del Gobi erno de Costa Rica, quisiera dar una calurosa bienvenida a la delegación 
de la India, encabezada por el Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretario del Departamento de Comercio, así 
como al Embajador Brajendra Navnit, y a su equipo en Ginebra, y agradecerles por su info rme. De 
igual forma, quisiera extender este agradecimiento a la Embajadora Kangvalkulkij por sus 
comentarios y a la Secretaría de la OMC por el informe.  
4.196.   Costa Rica quisiera resaltar el alto crecimiento económico experimentado por la India 
durante el períod o de examen, así como la mejora no sólo de sus índices macroeconómicos sino 
también de su posición en el índice Mundial de Innovación, en el Doing Business del Banco Mundial 
y en el índice de desempeño logístico de esa misma organización.   
4.197.   El dinamismo de l sector de los servicios ha sido uno de los mayores impulsores de esta 
tendencia. De igual forma, resaltamos de manera positiva el lanzamiento de la Política Nacional de 
Derecho de Propiedad Intelectual, así como la adopción de medidas tendientes a libera lizar la 
Inversión Extranjera Directa (IED) y a facilitar el comercio. Nos complace que la India haya ratificado 
el Acuerdo sobre Facilitación del Comercio y las medidas adoptadas en este campo. Al igual que 
Costa Rica, India es parte del Acuerdo sobre Tec nologías de la Información (“ATI”); quisiéramos 
saber si la India ha considerado adherirse también al ATI ampliado.  
4.198.   En relación con la política energética de la India, observamos el otorgamiento de incentivos 
tendientes a diversificar las fuentes de energí a y promover el uso de energías renovables. No 
obstante, notamos que todavía hay una fuerte dependencia en combustibles fósiles como el carbón. 
En ese sentido, nos gustaría conocer detalles sobre las políticas de reforma de India a los subsidios 
a los comb ustibles fósiles, incluyendo el anuncio realizado por el Primer Ministro Modi a finales del 
2019 de realizar un proceso de revisión por pares conjuntamente con Francia, en el marco del G20.  
4.199.   A pesar de los aspectos positivos anteriormente resaltados, nos si gue preocupando el 
elevado nivel de protección e intervencionismo estatal en varios sectores de la economía india, en 
particular el sector agrícola, el cual se manifiesta a través de diferentes medidas como los altos 
aranceles, los contingentes arancelario s, las políticas de ayuda interna y el sostenimiento de precios 
del mercado. En ese sentido, seguimos con interés los pasos que está dando la India hacia un 
comercio agrícola orientado al mercado y para aumentar la competitividad y la productividad de este  
sector a largo plazo.  
4.200.   A pesar del dinamismo mostrado en el sector de los servicios, observamos como todavía hay 
una alta participación estatal en sectores como el bancario, los seguros y las telecomunicaciones.   
4.201.   Finalmente, notamos también con preocupaci ón el aumento considerable en la utilización de 
medidas de defensa comercial por parte de la India, en particular el uso de medidas antidumping.  
De acuerdo con el informe de la Secretaría, el número de investigaciones iniciadas pasó de 82 en el 
periodo de  examen anterior a 233 en el periodo actual; un incremento de más del 200%.  Sería 
importante conocer las razones para este aumento tan elevado en el número de investigaciones 
iniciadas.  
4.202.   En el marco de este Examen de políticas comerciales, Costa Rica prese ntó a la India algunas 
preguntas sobre varios elementos de su política comercial. Quisiera agradecer la atención que la 
India ha dado a estas preguntas, y desearle muchos éxitos en este Examen de Políticas Comerciales.  
BANGLADESH  
4.203.   At the outset, the Banglad esh delegation welcomes H.E. Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, 
Department of Commerce and Head of Delegation for his introductory presentation at the 7th Trade 
Policy Review of India. Bangladesh delegation also thanks H.E. Sunanta Kangvalkulkij of Thailand 
for her insightful discussions. Our sincere appreciations also go to the Government of India and the 
WTO Secretariat for the comprehensive reports.  
4.204.   The relations between our two countries have been friendly since the birth of Bangladesh 
fifty years ago. Both countries are common members of SAARC, BIMSTEC, BBIN, the Commonwealth WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  and many other International Organizations. The two countries share common legacy, culture and 
history, and face common development challenges.  
4.205.   Our bilateral ties are further bolstered  with the regular high -level visits from both sides. 
Broad -based institutional mechanisms of dialogue have contributed to the deepening of relations 
between the two countries. Notable developments that have taken place over the past years are, 
among others , the resolution of land and maritime boundaries issues, conclusion of a large number 
of instruments and MOUs in the area of energy, transportation, cyber -security, information 
technology, and development of civil nuclear energy. As a close neighbour, Bang ladesh is delighted 
to note the great strides and significant progress that India has made in recent years. We see that 
the prudent macro -economic measures adopted by the country have resulted in impressive economic 
growth and remarkable improvement in alm ost all indices.  
4.206.   During the period under review, we have noted that the Government of India has focused 
on carrying out many structural reforms including ensuring inclusive growth. The fundamentals of 
the Indian economy remain strong and this has ensured m acroeconomic stability. Inflation is within 
limits and FDI inflows have increased significantly. We applaud the Government of India for the 
various reform measures that it has adopted in its trade and investment related areas. Improvement 
in the trading en vironment has enabled the country to better its position significantly in the World 
Bank’s Doing Business ranking from 142 in 2015 to 63 in 2019. This positive development will surely 
help attract more foreign trade and investment in India. The COVID 19 ha s been a setback for India, 
as it is the case with almost all counties of the world. We hope, the country will bounce back quickly 
to the track of robust economic growth and development.  
4.207.   Bangladesh and India enjoy excellent bilateral trade and economic re lations. Being the 
second largest trading partner, Bangladesh highly values its relationship with India. As we 
consolidate our trade relationship, we also cooperate closely in multilateral area in fostering a 
rule-based, fair and equitable multilateral tra de system. On the bilateral front, our trade volume is 
ever increasing. Our trade volume increased from USD 5.01 billion in FY 2010 -2011 to 
USD 10.5 billion in FY 2018 -19. During FY 2018 -19, Bangladesh’s export crossed the USD 1 billion 
mark by registering  a year -to-year growth of 43%. However, the balance of trade is still heavily 
tilted towards India, on which both our countries are continuously striving to find solutions.   
4.208.   The recent growth in the bilateral trade was mainly driven by substantial increas e of import 
into Bangladesh from India. Around 15% of total imports of Bangladesh are sourced from India. 
Being an LDC, Bangladesh enjoys duty free and quota free market access for all products except 
25 tariff lines (alcohol, tobacco and drugs) to India. This has created opportunity for Bangladesh to 
further enhance trade with India. However, we need to make efforts, in partnership with India, to 
resolve the challenges with regard to product diversification, product standardization, infrastructure 
developm ent at the land, road and seaports. The issues of para -tariff and non -tariff barriers are also 
needed to be looked into by both the sides.  
4.209.   In this context, Bangladesh delegation particularly flags two issues:  
a) India has relatively stricter investment rules for investors from countries having land border 
with it. Press Note No. 3 (2020 Series) and Revised para of 3.1.1(a) of FDI Policy of India, 
states that “a non -resident entity can invest in India, subject to t he FDI Policy except in 
those sectors/activities which are prohibited. However, an entity of a country, which shares 
land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated 
in or is a citizen of any such country, can in vest only under the Government route”. As a 
result, Bangladeshi investors face stricter investment regime compare to other investors 
whose countries do not share land borders with India.  
 
b) According to section 4.163 of the Secretariat report of this curren t TPR of India, 
171 countries could apply for e -visas in 28 international airports and 5 cruise terminals of 
India. Bangladesh is not included in that list. Every year, a large number of Bangladeshi 
tourists visit India. Bangladesh was the largest source o f foreign tourists visiting India in 
2019. India may consider Bangladesh eligible for e -Visa facility.  
 
4.210.   We have sent two questions through the Secretariat earlier. We thank the Indian delegation 
for answering the questions.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.211.   To conclude, we wish the deleg ation of India a productive and successful TPR. My delegation 
will continue to work closely with the Indian delegation, led by Ambassador Navnit to strengthen the 
multilateral trading system, as we assist our countries to enhance our bilateral trade ties.  
EUROPEAN  UNION  
4.212.   On behalf of the European Union, I would like first to welcome the delegation of India, led 
by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce. I would also like to thank the WTO 
Secretariat and the Government of India for their respec tive reports and express appreciation to 
H.E. Ms Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Ambassador of Thailand) for her remarks as the discussant.  
4.213.   The EU values its Strategic Partnership with India, of which trade and investment are 
important components. The EU and India  have a long -standing and well -developed trade and 
investment relation, which we are committed to develop further, as highlighted during the 15th 
EU-India Summit held on 15 July 2020.  
4.214.   Bilateral trade in goods between the EU and India has increased by over two thirds in the 
last decade. Bilateral trade in goods and services exceeded EUR 100 billion in 2019 and is balanced, 
which points at the complementarity between our economies.  
4.215.   Yet, the untapped potential of our trade and investment relations remains sig nificant. The 
EU is India's largest trading partner, accounting for EUR 80 billion worth of trade in goods in 2019, 
and the second -largest destination for India’s exports. At the same time, India is only the EU’s 10th 
largest trading partner, accounting fo r 1.9% of its total trade.  
4.216.   The COVID -19 pandemic has deeply affected the world’s economy. Both the EU and India 
are being hit severely by the health crisis, with serious short and long -term social and economic 
consequences. The EU and India share the objec tive of quickly returning to a path of sustained and 
sustainable growth. Trade and investment will be important components of our respective strategies 
to go back to growth and generation of employment.  
4.217.   In this respect, we take note of the objectives of t he “Self -Reliant India” initiative to attract 
foreign direct investment, promote local manufacturing, and integrate further into global supply 
chains. At the same time, we are concerned about the continued trend in the policy pursued by the 
Government of I ndia to apply new barriers to trade between India and the rest of the world, including 
the EU.  
4.218.   Very little progress has been made by India in the last years on eliminating barriers to trade, 
many of which are long -standing. In addition, we are witnessing an amplification of trade barriers 
in the wake of COVID -19. Furthermore, we are concerned about the overall direction of India’s trade 
and investment policies, notably regarding the extent of its trade openness and its willingness to 
integrate truly into g lobal value chains.  
4.219.   These developments are a source of concern and uncertainty for foreign economic operators 
and investors, which the sheer size of the Indian market might not be enough to balance it out.  
4.220.   Against this background, the many written questi ons submitted by the EU in the context of 
the current Trade Policy Review reflect the debt and breadth of our concerns, and our quest for 
clarifications.  
4.221.   They cover issues that we have raised before, such as exceedingly high customs duties, 
unpredictable customs procedures, cumbersome SPS requirements, gaps in the protection of 
intellectual property rights and geographical indications, and the ever -narrowing access to 
government procurement in India. The accelerated trend in India to develop domestic stand ards 
that deviate from internationally agreed ones is also a concern. These obstacles risk to increasingly 
insulating the Indian market from the world economy and are holding back its economic potential.  
4.222.   The EU and India share a strong commitment to the WT O’s rule -based multilateral trading 
system. As major trading powers, we should share a responsibility to preserve, strengthen and 
reform the WTO – and the EU looks forward to further engaging with India to this end. In particular, 
the EU would welcome Indi a to approach ongoing and future plurilateral initiatives with an open WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  mind. In this context, the EU would like to reiterate its invitation to India to join the three ongoing 
Joint Statement Initiatives on e -commerce, services domestic regulation, and inve stment facilitation.  
4.223.   Furthermore, we invite India to engage constructively with the EU and other co -sponsors of 
the initiative on World Food Programme (WFP), which we discussed at the General Council in 
December. We should strive to address the current bl ockage of the initiative and send a very positive 
political signal in support of the life -saving humanitarian work of the WFP.  
4.224.   Differences are a normal occurrence in the WTO and the EU always favours amicable 
solutions in the framework of multilateral or bilateral channels. However, in certain cases, there is 
no choice but to have recourse to the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism, as illustrated by the 
pending case the EU initiated on India’s tariffs on ICT products, for which we hope for a prompt 
resolut ion. In this context, we hope that India may still see the MPIA as a useful stepping -stone to 
the restoration of binding two -step dispute settlement.  
4.225.   The Trade Policy Review is an important exercise in transparency, which provides WTO 
Members with an uniq ue opportunity to get a better understanding of how other trading partners 
perceive their policies, to provide clarifications in this respect, and ultimately to set the ground for 
improved trade flows. The EU hopes that the present TPR will fulfil this rol e.  
4.226.   On behalf the EU, I wish India a very productive and successful Review.  
MÉXICO  
4.227.   Me complace dar la más cordial bienvenida a la delegación de India encabezada por el 
Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretario de Comercio. Agradecemos a la Secretaría de la OMC por la 
elaboración del Informe y a la Embajadora Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Tailandia) por sus excelentes 
comentarios.  
4.228.   Como otros ya lo han señalado, la economía india tuvo un fuerte crecimiento económico 
entre el 2015 y 2019, llegando a una tasa promedio de hasta 7,4% durante este periodo, cifra 
ciertamente envidiable para la mayoría de las economías miembros de esta Organización.  
4.229.   Desafortunadamente, cómo ha ocurrido casi en todas partes, la pandemia del COVID -19 
afectó drásticamente a la economía de la India . Según proyecciones del Fondo Monetario 
Internacional, el PIB tendrá una caída de aproximadamente de 10,3% en el 2020. Esta recesión es 
consecuencia de una disminución drástica en el consumo y la inversión, así como la incertidumbre 
generalizada en el ent orno de negocios.  
4.230.   Lo anterior, a pesar de que el gobierno de la India ha instrumentado diversas medidas para 
ayudar a los más afectados por la crisis sanitaria, tales como programas fiscales, de transferencia 
directa, suministro de alimentos, seguridad so cial, medidas de estímulos económicos a las PYMES, 
y refinanciación de créditos rurales y vivienda, entre otros.   
4.231.   En el período de revisión y con respecto a la política comercial, destacan las medidas para 
liberalizar la inversión extranjera directa en el  sector de servicios, particularmente en la radiodifusión 
y telecomunicaciones, comercio electrónico, seguros, aeropuertos, servicios aéreos no regulares y 
de apoyo a los servicios aéreos. También hay nuevas medidas que facilitan el comercio internacional 
como el Portal Electrónico de Aduanas, la Ventanilla Única, el Programa de Operadores Económicos, 
los Sistemas de Riesgo, así como una reducción de trámites aduaneros.  
4.232.   Resalta también el establecimiento de una Política Nacional de Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual con el objetivo de impulsar su generación y comercialización, en la que destacan las 
modificaciones a los reglamentos de derechos de autor, patentes y marcas de fábrica o comercio y 
la digitalización de presentación de solicitudes.  
4.233.   Apreciando lo s avances arriba referidos en liberalización comercial y económica, se presenta 
un contraste con otros elementos de la política comercial que siguen causando inquietudes e 
incertidumbre entre los actores comerciales, tales como la alta dispersión de los ar anceles 
consolidados, los cuales oscilan entre 0 y 150% y su modificación frecuente, así como el hecho de 
que solo el 75% de los aranceles están consolidados.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.234.   Llama de manera importante la atención que el arancel NMF aplicado aumentara de 13% en 
el 2015 a 14,3% en el 2020, llegando a los 15,4% si se consideran los aranceles ad -valorem.  
4.235.   Por otra parte, diversos reglamentos técnicos y medidas fitosanitarias también han sido 
objeto de cuestionamiento en la OMC. Durante el periodo de examen, 6 preocupaciones c omerciales 
fueron planteadas respecto a medidas sanitarias y fitosanitarias y 24 respecto a reglamentos 
técnicos.  
4.236.   Con relación a la agricultura, han sido objeto de cuestionamiento su política de precios, 
controles a la exportación e importación y las subv enciones directas e indirectas. Si bien, 
entendemos la política de subvencionar a la agricultura con el fin de salvaguardar su seguridad 
alimentaria, es importante evaluar los alcances de dichos apoyos y sus posibles efectos 
distorsionantes en el comercio internacional.  
4.237.   Respecto a servicios, a pesar de las medidas para liberalizar la IED, sigue existiendo una 
alta concentración en el sector bancario, seguros y telecomunicaciones.  
4.238.   De acuerdo con el reporte de la Secretaría, India sigue recurriendo a las medidas 
antidumping, lo que la ha llevado a ser el Miembro que más las utiliza en la OMC. De igual forma, 
India es un usuario recurrente de las medidas de salvaguardias, tan solo en 2019, existían 
46 investigaciones en curso. Si bien reconocemos el derecho de recurrir a estas disposiciones, el 
constante uso de estas medidas corre el riesgo de convertirse en una señal de promover 
artificialmente la competitividad de un sector.   
4.239.   Cómo c omentario general, por su dimensión económica y poblacional,  
4.240.   la India tiene el potencial de seguir abonando constructivamente a reafirmar la relevancia 
de esta organización. Por su experiencia en varios de los temas pertinentes a las iniciativas conjuntas 
en curso, sería valioso que considerará integrase a ellas.  
4.241.   Para concluir, entendemos que, como consecuencia de la Pandemia se hayan 
recalendarizado los EPC. Sin embargo, después del receso decembrino, ha quedado muy poco tiempo 
a mi capital para realizar u na revisión exhaustiva de las respuestas y comentarios de la India. 
Esperamos que, en el futuro, los EPC puedan ser programados sin una pausa tan amplia entre la 
emisión de los informes y el examen.  
4.242.   Agradecemos a la India las respuestas a nuestras pregunta s en materia de remedios 
comerciales y política de competencia. Le deseamos un exitoso Examen de sus políticas comerciales.  
TURKEY  
4.243.   I would like to join others in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary 
of the Department of Commerce of Indi a and his delegation. We thank the Secretariat and the 
Government of India for their comprehensive reports, as well as Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij 
for her invaluable contribution to the Review.  
4.244.   India, as it is indicated in the reports, has achieved a continued economic growth for most 
of the review period despite COVID -19 challenges. This strong economic growth has paved the way 
for an improvement in socioeconomic indicators such as per -capita income and life expectancy.  
4.245.   During the review period, we ar e pleased to see that various reforms were introduced by 
India.  
4.246.   We believe that the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax and Insolvency and 
Bankruptcy Code, Mudra Mission, initiatives such as “Make in India”, “Digital India”, and “Startup 
India”, as  well as the new public procurement programme Government e -Marketplace will help 
facilitate trade and investment, will boost business and transform India’s economy. We also hope 
that “Skill India” policy regarding the unskilled young population will be ben eficial both for the society 
and the economy.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.247.   We believe that India, through future reforms, will continue to further provide predictable 
and competitive trade environment for traders and investors.  
4.248.   We welcome the ratification of Trade Facilitation Agreem ent by India which shows its strong 
commitment to multilateralism.  
4.249.   Turkey sees India as a key partner in South Asia. In the post -COVID era, we believe that 
Turkey and India could play a more prominent role together.  
4.250.   Back in 2005, trade volume between our c ountries was just around USD 1.5 billion. In fifteen 
years, this figure increased fivefold and reached to USD 7.8 billion in 2019. Despite a setback in 
2020 due to the pandemic, USD 10 billion target could easily be reached given the strong 
complementarity  between our economies.  
4.251.   India is one of the target countries in Turkey’s Export Master Plan and has an important 
place in Turkey’s “Asia Anew” initiative.  
4.252.   We are glad that our bilateral economic relations are expanding with joint ventures and 
mutual inves tments. The cooperation between “Anadolu Shipyard” and “Hindustan Shipyard Limited” 
is one such good example. We should continue to build on such initiatives.   
4.253.   India is an important player in this Organization and plays a constructive and active role in 
further advancing the multilateral trading system. Like other international organizations, we have 
close collaboration with India at the WTO and especially in the efforts to strengthen this Organization. 
In this, Turkey particularly acknowledges the efforts  of India in areas of development and inclusive 
reform agenda for the WTO. We also believe that our cooperation in G33 contributes to increase the 
relevance of this Organization especially for developing countries and to advance their priorities in 
agricul ture negotiations.  
4.254.   Before concluding, I want to thank Ambassador Brajendra Navnit and his staff at the 
Permanent Mission of India for their active contributions to our work and their constructive 
engagement in the negotiations at the WTO. We wish India a very successful Review.  
UNITED  STATES  
4.255.   A warm welcome to Secretary Wadhawan, Ambassador Navnit, and the entire Indian 
delegation.  
4.256.   India is an increasingly important trading partner for the United States with two -way trade 
surpassing USD 146 billion in 2019. Even during the COVID -19 pandemic, which has severely 
impacted both of our countries, we have seen companies continue to announce significant bilateral 
FDI flows, which reflects the further strengthening of economic ties between our countries. We see 
our economic relationship, including here at the WTO, as a priority in our bilateral partnership. As 
evidenced by the rapid expansion of India’s trade with the United States and many other WTO 
Members, India’s importance and responsibility within this institution continues to increase.  
4.257.   While we are encouraged by the Indian Government’s efforts to attract additional foreign 
investment and its pursuit of a number of economic reforms, it is disappointing to see recent actions 
taken by India that appear to chart a different course and actually restrict trade. For example, since 
India’s last TPR, India’s simple average MFN applied tariff rate has increased from 13.5% in 2015 to 
17.6% in 2019, according to the WTO tariff profiles. This trend will not facilitat e India’s further 
integration into global supply chains. The United States urges India to take additional steps to open 
the country’s trading regime to help India harness the benefits of trade to create jobs. This would 
include significant reductions in ta riffs as well as the removal of unjustifiable SPS and TBT 
impediments on imports.  
4.258.   The agriculture sector in India remains particularly closed to many foreign products. High 
tariffs often make importation prohibitively costly, and products face obstacles in  the form of SPS 
and TBT measures that appear to have no scientific or other justifiable basis under the WTO 
Agreement. India also provides a broad range of assistance to its agricultural sector. The government 
program to purchase food products from farmer s at minimum support prices distorts domestic WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  market prices and incentivizes the over -production of products such as rice and wheat. As a result, 
India’s agricultural trade policy continues to disservice consumers and producers in India.  
4.259.   We have also seen a recent increase in measures, both proposed and implemented, that 
could create technical barriers to trade in other sectors, including, for example, information and 
communication technology products, medical devices, and chemicals. India continues to expa nd the 
list of products required to undergo conformity assessment only in India. Such domestic testing 
requirements and mandatory quality control orders that are not in line with international standards 
and continue to limit India’s ability to further inte grate into global supply chains and attract 
investment.  
4.260.   India’s dynamic services sectors continue to drive economic growth, and India has benefited 
from access to WTO Members’ services markets around the world, However, in key services sectors, 
India prohi bits or significantly limit foreign participation. Such policies will do little to help the Indian 
government’s efforts to win the competition for increasing FDI flows in Asia.  Opening the retail, 
e-commerce, insurance, and other services sectors to incre ased foreign participation, including by 
allowing fully foreign -owned enterprises in these sectors, will not only help incentivize investment, 
but will also contribute to improving supply chains. The digital economy is also a powerful force for 
domestic an d global economic growth, but India has implemented digital trade barriers that likely 
will undermine that growth. The United States encourages India to refrain from introducing barriers 
to digital trade, including restrictions on cross -border data flows a nd data localization requirements.  
4.261.   As India’s “Make in India” campaign makes clear, a strong and effective IPR regime is a 
critical component of attracting investment and achieving India’s ambitious economic goals. While 
India’s enforcement of IP has gradu ally improved, it has been inconsistent, and India remains one 
of the world’s most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP. 
Indian industries could realize the benefits of receiving strong brand and product protection t hrough 
trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets, but India’s current IPR policies do not yet 
facilitate this development.  
4.262.   Finally, with regard to transparency, the United States acknowledges steps the Government 
of India is taking to improve the transparency and effective functioning of its policymaking 
institutions. Despite improvements, the United States continues to be concerned about the lack of 
transparency in many aspects of India’s trade policy, including a disappointing performance in WTO 
notifications and limited notice and comment procedures for domestic and foreign stakeholders. This 
lack of transparency results in policy uncertainty, which creates difficulties for firms trying to invest 
in and trade with India.  
4.263.   The United States appreci ates the opportunity to engage in this dialogue, thanks India for 
responding to our questions, and looks forward to further discussing India’s trade policy regime with 
the delegation from India over the next two days.  
THAILAND  
4.264.   At the outset, Thailand would  like to associate itself with ASEAN statement delivered by 
Singapore.  
4.265.   Thailand in pleased to participate in the 7th Trade Policy Review (TPR) of India. We warmly 
welcome the delegation of India led by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Commerce Secretary, to this virtual  
TPR. 
4.266.   We would like to thank you, Mr. Chair, and the discussant, H.E. Ambassador Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij of Thailand, for their in -depth perspectives. We also thank the Government of India 
and the WTO Secretariat and for their high -quality reports.  
4.267.   Thailand and India have enjoyed growing bilateral trade and cooperation at all levels. With 
70 years of diplomatic relations, the two countries have leveraged our long -standing historical and 
cultural ties into the current warm friendship, close cooperation and, sh ared values.  
4.268.   Economic and commercial linkages form an important aspect of Thailand’s partnership with 
India. We are pleased to underline that at present India is Thailand's the largest trading partner in WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  South Asia and the 11th largest in the world while Thailand is the 21st largest trading partner of 
India. Bilateral trade grew significantly from USD 7.8 trillion in 2015 to USD 12.18 trillion in 2019, 
indicating an increase of 56%. Most of the exports from Thailand to India are plastic pallets, 
chemicals,  automobiles and parts, steel, and machinery. Meanwhile, Thailand imports from India 
primary chemicals, machinery and parts, air conditioners, gems and jewellery. We hope that our 
bilateral trade will continue to grow to further strengthen economic relatio ns. 
4.269.   In terms of investment, foreign direct investment flows from India to Thailand reached 
USD 40 million in 2017 and slightly went down during the last two years. Thailand sees high potential 
in inviting Indian investors to do more business in Thailand, e specially in digital, pharmaceutical, 
biotechnology, chemical, and automotive industries.  
4.270.   Thailand commends India's solid economic growth and welcomes India’s efforts in taking a 
range of reform initiatives to sustainably enhance overall growth as well as to promote trade and 
investment facilitation.  
4.271.   In the multilateral trading system, Thailand appreciates India's firm commitments and the 
substantial efforts that India has put into the negotiations in various forums. We welcome India’s 
ratification of the T rade Facilitation Agreement in 2016 and commend India’s recent efforts to 
improve its notification record under the WTO.  
4.272.   In this Review, Thailand has sought clarity on a number of measures of our interests. We 
take the opportunity to thank India for its ti mely responses to our questions and will study them in 
detail with great interest.  
4.273.   In closing, Thailand would like to express our appreciation to India for the cooperation in 
every level and the friendly working relationship between our two Missions here i n Geneva. We wish 
India every success in this TPR.  
COLOMBIA  
4.274.   Saludamos atentamente a la delegación de India, encabezada por el Dr. Anup Wadhawan, 
Secretario del Departamento de Comercio, y también damos una cordial bienvenida a su Excelencia 
Brajendra Navni t, Embajador de India ante la OMC. Agradecemos el completo análisis y comentarios 
presentados por la Embajadora Sunanta Kangvalkulkij de Tailandia, como ponente, así como el 
trabajo de la Secretaría y las autoridades de India en la elaboración de los Infor mes tan completos 
y detallados, y los cuales fueron elaborados en los momentos más complejos de la pandemia por 
COVID -19.  
4.275.   India tiene una economía dinámica, registra altas tasas de crecimiento en los últimos años 
e indicadores macroeconómicos estables. El  crecimiento se ha apoyado también en diversas 
reformas económicas y fiscales, en un aumento de la inversión en infraestructura, el dinamismo de 
la demanda interna y en la promoción de la eficiencia e inclusión económica. Estas tendencias 
positivas también  han favorecido el avance decidido de los indicadores socioeconómicos como el 
aumento de la esperanza de vida y mejora significativa de los ingresos per cápita. En las áreas de 
desempleo y reducción de la pobreza, los avances son significativos, aunque aún  se registran tasas 
elevadas.  
4.276.   Con un crecimiento sostenido de sus exportaciones de bienes y de servicios, una 
participación activa en diversas cadenas de valor, una importante red de acuerdos comerciales, India 
registra una participación importante en el comercio mundial. Igualmente, es notorio que las 
exportaciones representan aproximadamente el 30% del PIB. Se evidencia además una transición 
hacia exportaciones de bienes de tecnología media y con mayor valor añadido, y la reducción de la 
dependencia de e xportaciones de materias y productos básicos, tendencias que se reflejan también 
es su estructura importadora.  
4.277.   En el área de servicios, este examen da cuenta de la rápida y positiva evolución de este 
sector en India y su creciente importancia en el comerc io total. India registra un superávit neto en 
el comercio de servicios, destacándose los servicios de informática y telecomunicaciones. Sectores 
que aportan al dinamismo económico y a la creación de empleo.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.278.   Reconocemos el compromiso de India con el sistema multilateral de comercio y con sus 
principios fundacionales, su activa participación en las negociaciones en curso y en el funcionamiento 
de los Órganos Ordinarios. Damos la bienvenida al compromiso que ref leja el Gobierno de India en 
su informe, con el adecuado funcionamiento del Mecanismo de Solución de Diferencias y con la 
reforma de la Organización.  
4.279.   Los documentos de la Secretaría y del Gobierno dan cuenta de la importancia que tienen los 
Acuerdos comer ciales regionales y bilaterales para India, llegando a 16 Acuerdos notificados, la 
mayoría con países vecinos y de la región asiática. De allí que más de un tercio del comercio total 
de India se realiza con socios de Asia.  
4.280.   A nivel bilateral, nuestros lazo s comerciales se han venido fortaleciendo progresivamente, 
después de más de 60 años del establecimiento de relaciones diplomáticas. Tenemos un comercio 
bilateral creciente en el que Colombia viene aumentando las exportaciones de productos 
manufacturados y  agroindustriales a pesar de registrar una balanza comercial tradicionalmente 
deficitaria para nuestro país.  
4.281.   Sobre la política arancelaria, los informes dan cuenta de que India tiene una estructura 
arancelaria compleja, con tipos arancelarios ad valorem, específicos y mixtos, que pueden resultar 
en dificultades para los operadores de comercio exterior. Identificamos que los aranceles aplicados 
en promedio de 15%, una tasa más elevada que la registrada en el periodo de examen anterior.  
4.282.   Llama la atención el aumento general de las tasas arancelarias, y en particular los 
incrementos en el sector de las manufacturas. Igualmente resulta de interés que el número de líneas 
arancelarias en niveles de entre 0 y 10% es cada vez menor, mientras que ha aumentado el grup o 
de productos sujetos a aranceles de entre 10 y 30%. A esto se suma el número importante de frutas 
y verduras que tienen aranceles de más de 30 e incluso más de 60%. Sin duda esto representa 
costos importantes adicionales para los empresarios de países en  desarrollo interesados en participar 
en el creciente mercado de la India.  
4.283.   Identificamos adicionalmente, que en el periodo de examen se mantuvieron o se 
incrementaron las prohibiciones, restricciones y licencias de importación. Si bien varias de estas 
medidas tienen sustento en las normas multilaterales, llama la atención el esquema de prohibición 
o restricción de las importaciones cuando el precio de los bienes, en su gran mayoría del sector 
agrícola, es inferior a un mínimo establecido para el ingreso al  mercado. Solicitamos a India mayor 
información sobre el funcionamiento de este esquema y la forma como dichos precios mínimos son 
establecidos.   
4.284.   En este Examen, también llama la atención el rol preponderante que continúan teniendo las 
empresas estatales en el comercio de los productos agrícolas, los abonos y fertilizantes, y el petróleo. 
En algunos casos, estas empresas tienen monopolio en las importaciones de ciertos productos y en 
otros casos sus compras están directamente vinculadas a la oferta interna  de ciertos productos. No 
se puede dejar de expresar inquietud por el rol de las empresas estatales en la compra de productos 
alimenticios a los agricultores locales a un precio mínimo de sostenimiento. Los documentos 
elaborados para este examen dan cuenta  de la influencia de las empresas estatales en todos los 
sectores de la economía y los efectos que estas pueden tener en lo referente a la competencia, la 
no discriminación, la innovación y la iniciativa privada.   
4.285.   En el área de procedimientos aduaneros y de comercio exterior, felicitamos los avances y 
acciones concretas adoptadas durante el periodo de examen, los cuales desarrollan los compromisos 
del Acuerdo de Facilitación del Comercio. Resaltamos la puesta en marcha de la interfaz de Ventanilla 
Única de  comercio, la creación del portal electrónico de aduanas que agiliza y simplifica los 
procedimientos aduaneros. También reconocemos los esfuerzos para mejorar la gestión del riesgo.  
4.286.   Colombia presentó preguntas sobre aspectos de interés, algunos de los que hemos abordado 
en este espacio, como los niveles arancelarios, restricciones a las importaciones y a las 
exportaciones, los controles sobre los precios en el sector agropecuario, las  medidas de apoyo al 
sector de agricultura y las políticas sobre Inversión Extranjera. Las respuestas hoy circuladas serán 
analizarlas en detalle con nuestras autoridades.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.287.   Finalizo deseándole a India y a su delegación un exitoso cierre del proceso de exam en de 
sus políticas comerciales, el cual se ha desarrollado positivamente a pesar del programa ajustado 
que se ha debido adoptar. Extendemos un cordial, y reitero al Embajador Navnit todo nuestro apoyo. 
Sea esta también la oportunidad para resaltar la exce lente relación de trabajo y cooperación que 
caracteriza a nuestras dos Misiones.  
RUSSIAN  FEDERATION  
4.288.   I would like to extend my warmest welcome to the delegation of India. Our countries have 
a long -lasting relationship, going back in history. Close political  cooperation is a distinctive feature 
of Russian -Indian relations. In 2000 our leaders signed the Declaration on Strategic Partnership 
between the Russian Federation and the Republic of India. During the visit of the Russian President 
to India in December 2010, the Strategic Partnership was elevated to the level of a “Special and 
Privileged Strategic Partnership”.  
4.289.   In 2019 bilateral trade between Russia and India amounted to more than USD 11 billion. 
Compared to the previous year, the trade turnover between  our countries increased by 2.3%. 
Russian exports to India in 2019 amounted to USD 7.3 billion, imports from India - USD 3.9 billion., 
The supply of food and agricultural raw materials more than doubled during the period from January 
to October 2020. A num ber of bilateral economic projects are being developed in the sectors of 
atomic energy, oil and natural gas, metallurgy, aeronautical engineering, chemical industry, 
pharmaceuticals and others.  
4.290.   The leaders of our countries have set the task of increasing t he volume of bilateral trade to 
USD 30 billion by 2025 and the volume of investments from each side to USD 15 billion.  
4.291.   The main mechanism of enhancing Russia -India ties is the Russia -India Inter -Governmental 
Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Techn ological and Cultural Cooperation. The 23rd 
meeting of the Commission took place in Moscow on September, 2018, co -chaired by Deputy 
Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mr Yuri Borisov and the Minister of External 
Affairs of the Republic of  India, dearly departed, Sushma Swaraj ( Сушма  Сварадж ). 
4.292.   Turning back to the 7th Trade policy review of India, I would like to appreciate the 
comprehensive reports by the Government and the WTO Secretariat. Our thanks also go to the 
discussant, H.E. Ms. Sun anta Kangvalkulkij, for her thoughtful remarks. We support this valuable 
and informative dialogue enabling us to exchange views on the trade policy of each WTO Member, 
thereby enhancing transparency in multilateral trading system in general.  
4.293.   We would like to congratulate the Government of India for carrying out effective trade and 
investment policies as well as implementing a number of reforms that contributed to sustained 
economic growth, averaging 7.4% throughout the review period. Real GDP growth slowed down a 
little in early 2020 due to COVID -19 pandemic, but the Government responded promptly with a 
number of short - and long -term measures, targeting certain sectors of the economy.  
4.294.   We commend India for an active participation in the WTO work and for conti nued strong 
support to the multilateral trading system. Russia welcomes India’s ratification of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement in 2016 and overall adherence to notification obligations. We note with 
satisfaction that New Delhi continues to implement meas ures to facilitate trade, such as streamlining 
customs documentation requirements and automating clearance systems for imports and export, as 
well as many others.  
4.295.   As reflected in our submitted questions to the WTO Secretariat and India’s reports, Russia 
would like to seek clarifications on a number of issues, including on economic environment and 
reforms, bilateral trade agreements, trade policies and specific practices. Questions regarding 
customs procedures, tariff rate quotas, charges affecting imports, quantitative restrictions on certain 
products, sanitary and phytosanitary requirements are of our particular concern. We hope to receive 
comprehensive answers to these questions in due time.  
4.296.   In conclusion, we would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, the dele gation of India, the 
Secretariat and the discussant, for the impressive work done so far and wish India a successful Trade 
Policy Review.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  KAZAKHSTAN  
4.297.   Kazakhstan is pleased to participate in the Seventh Trade Policy Review of India. We would 
like to express our appreciation to Indian’s Government and the Secretariat for their high -quality 
reports.  
4.298.   Kazakhstan commends India on its efforts of developing their economies and witnesses an 
annual GDP growth rate of 6.1% between 2018 and 2019. We are pleased to noti ce several launched 
government programs, including an increased number of poverty alleviation schemes in India.  
4.299.   We believe that, with the concerted efforts of the government and people, India will achieve 
macroeconomic sustainability and advance the countr y's development.  
4.300.   Kazakhstan closely follows India's economic growth and attaches high importance to 
strengthening bilateral cooperation with India with the objective to build a stronger economic and 
trade relationship.  
4.301.   Within this TPR exercise, Kazakhstan has raised a number of essential questions on a range 
of issues of specific interest, such as trade remedies, customs valuation, investment regime, etc. 
Kazakhstan looks forward to receiving replies from India to our questions.  
4.302.   In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the delegation of India and the Secretariat of the 
WTO for the hard work and efforts that went into preparing for this TPR.  
4.303.   We wish the delegation of India every success for their seventh Trade Policy Review.  
INDONESIA  
4.304.   Indonesia warmly welcomes Secretary, Department of Commerce, Dr. Anup Wadhawan, and 
the other members of the delegation to the Trade Policy Review of India. On behalf of the Indonesian 
delegation, I would like to convey my appreciation to Ambassador Sunant a Kangvalkulkij (Thailand) 
for her contribution as a discussant. Indonesia would also like to thank the WTO Secretariat and the 
delegation of India for putting their hard work in conducting this 7th Trade Policy Review by providing 
us insightful reports.  
4.305.   Indonesia would like to associate itself with the ASEAN statement delivered by Singapore in 
this TPR. As ASEAN’s Dialogue Partner, India has indeed become our key and important partner for 
our trade cooperation in the region.   
4.306.   In the WTO, Indonesia acknow ledges India’s active role in advancing important issues of 
developing countries to promote development and inclusivity. Indonesia also appreciates India’s 
constructive contribution and continued engagement in moving forward agriculture trade 
negotiation, including through G33, in order to address challenges and issue of our common 
concerns.  
4.307.   In bilateral trade, India has always become among Indonesia's important trading partners. 
In 2019, India was Indonesia’s fifth -largest trading partner, even though the total trade value 
between Indonesia and India was showing a decrease from USD 18.7 billion in 2018 to 
USD 16.1 billion in 2019. Having said that, we hope Indonesia and India could enhance our bilateral 
trade cooperation to address any trade and trade -related issues between Indonesia and India.  
4.308.   On this occasion, please allow Indonesia to address some of our concerns on India's trade 
policies and measures, which are also reflected in our written questions.  
4.309.   During the review period, we welcome reforms and effo rts that have been made by the 
Government of India to improve the trade environment, especially in the agricultural sector which 
is more liberal and open. India also introduced the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE) 
as the national portal of the I ndian Customs of the CBIC to provide e -filing services for both importers 
and exporters. However, on 21 August 2020, India issued a new provision called CAROTAR which 
requires additional documents other than a certificate of origin to claim tariff preferen ces in the FTA 
scheme between ASEAN and India. It seems that the verification and clearance process has become WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  longer, and is not in line with the spirit of trade liberalization as agreed in the ASEAN -India FTA. 
Besides, the request to provide a business p rocess information for importers would also pose a risk 
from unauthorized Parties such as information leakage issue under the CAROTAR scheme.  
4.310.   As for gold jewellery imported products, India imposes a bank guarantee of 20 percent. This 
issue has a significan t impact on our trade products and has been raised at the Biennial Trade 
Ministers Forum in 2020. We are concerned that ASEAN -India Trade in Goods preferential rates for 
these products which have been 0% become meaningless. Indonesia encourages India to re duce 
the percentage of the bank guarantee and requests India to apply this policy in an MFN manner and 
not discriminatory in practice.  
4.311.   Regarding the import prohibition and license, the Secretariat notes that there are 48 tariff 
lines are subject to import prohibitions depending upon their import price to protect the domestic 
growers/farmers and their livelihood. To that extend, Indonesia asks India to provide its positions 
on the WTO consistency of such measures, particularly in terms of GATT Art. XI and th e Import 
Licensing Agreement. Indonesia also asks India to review its policy on import license requirements 
for the importation of refined palm oil (RPO).  
4.312.   Concerning the anti -dumping measures, India continues to be an active user in the WTO and 
shows a sha rp increase from the previous review. We see there is a difference in conceptual 
understanding, especially for the definition of a subsidy. Indonesia hopes India could provide in 
detailed explanations.  
4.313.   Indonesia believes this Trade Policy Review is a good momentum for Indonesia to 
comprehensively understand about India's trade policies and measures. Furthermore, we can also 
learn about the impact of those policies and measures not only domestically but also externally, 
especially to the other WTO Members. A s for India, we believe that this TPR is a good opportunity 
to examine its policies and measures which in the end will promote the country’s economic 
development and growth.  
4.314.   Finally, to finish our remarks, once again, we would like to express our appreciat ion to 
H.E. Brajendra Navnit, the Permanent Representative of India and the delegation of India for their 
hard work. We look forward to hearing responses from India and a follow -up communication with 
the delegation of India for further written clarificatio n on our interests and concerns.  
4.315.   Last but not least, we wish India a successful Trade Policy Review.  
MALAYSIA  
4.316.   Malaysia would like to associate itself with the ASEAN statement delivered by Singapore.  
4.317.   We warmly welcome the delegation of India led by Dr. Anup  Wadhawan, Secretary of 
Commerce. We also extend our appreciation to the discussant, Ambassador Sunanta of Thailand, for 
her insightful comments of India’s economic and trade policies.  
4.318.   Malaysia is pleased to take part in the Seventh Trade Policy Review of India, which marks 
the commencement of the review work for the TPRB this year. We deem this Review is important to 
evaluate India’s effectiveness in achieving its trade policy objectives throughout the period under 
review and working towards navigating a p ost-COVID -19 future.  
4.319.   No doubt, 2020 has been a year full of challenges for all of us. The COVID -19 pandemic has 
taken its toll on the world, causing deaths, illnesses and economic despair in many countries. Even 
though COVID -19 vaccinations have already st arted and been administered around the world, the 
number of confirmed cases and death are still on the rise. As of 1 January 2021, WHO reported that 
the global number of confirmed cases of COVID -19 surpassed 80 million cases with 1.8 million 
number of deat hs. Malaysia noted that India has approved two COVID -19 vaccines from AstraZeneca 
and Bharat Biotech, paving the way for a massive inoculation programme for the nation. We applaud 
India on this step in addressing the pandemic at the domestic front.  
4.320.   We comm end the Indian Government’s efforts on its economic and structural reforms 
including the enactment of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 (IBC); the implementation of WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  Goods and Services Tax (GST); introduction of an online single window in obtaining co nstruction 
permit; adoption of its first National Intellectual Property Rights (NIPR) Policy and National Digital 
Communication Policy 2018; strengthening of legal rights of borrowers and lenders to a secured 
transaction; protection of minority investors a nd reduction of corporate tax from 30% to 25% for 
domestic companies in September 2019.  
4.321.   Malaysia and India have been enjoying significant trade relations over the years. While we 
saw an increase in total trade between Malaysia and India in 2019, it is obs erved that for the period 
between January -November 2020, total trade between India and Malaysia decreased by 15.6% to 
USD 11.59 billion compared to the corresponding period in 2019. Malaysia’s exports to India also 
decreased by 27.4% to USD 6.21 billion wh ile Malaysia’s imports increased by 3.7% to 
USD 5.38 billion. Regardless, in 2019, India remained amongst Malaysia’s 10 largest global trading 
partner, export destination and source of imports.  
4.322.   India also continues to be among Malaysia’s major source of f oreign direct investments 
(FDIs) since 1980. As of 2019, 262 approved investments in the manufacturing sector added up to 
USD 2.77 billion. Out of the 262 approved investments, 147 projects worth USD 1.74 billion have 
been implemented. These investments we re concentrated in mining and quarrying, manufacturing, 
construction and services.  
4.323.   India and Malaysia also enjoy a strong and complementary economic relationship through 
the bilateral initiative namely, Malaysia -India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agr eement 
(MICECA). That said, we note the Secretariat’s report on Indian Government’s frequent changes to 
its policies, which had raised concerns on the predictability and investors’ confidence towards India.  
4.324.   On regional initiatives, we commend India’s comm itment in pursuing such initiatives, notably 
the ASEAN -India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA). We also acknowledge India’s position in relation to 
the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Malaysia, as member of RCEP, looks 
forward to welcomin g India into RCEP once India decides to do so.  
4.325.   At the multilateral front, we applaud India on the ratification and implementation of the WTO 
Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in 2016, making India the 76th WTO Member to ratify TFA. We 
note that India is currently implementing its commitments particularly with the establishment of the 
National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF). We hope that the implementation of the National 
Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) would indeed facilitate trade in India . 
4.326.   We also appreciate India’s active participation and contribution in the WTO particularly for 
hosting two Informal WTO Mini Ministerial Meetings back in 2018 and 2019 in New Delhi, as well as 
tabling / co -sponsoring proposals at the WTO. Malaysia wishes t o encourage India to come on board 
the various Joint Statement Initiatives (JSI) currently being pursued.  
4.327.   The diplomatic ties between Malaysia and India was established in 1957 and since then 
Malaysia -India relations have traditionally been close and frie ndly. Towards this, Malaysia hopes the 
bilateral economic cooperation will be further strengthened in the years ahead for the prosperity of 
the people in both countries. Let us bid adieu to a disruptive year of 2020 and welcome with hope, 
positivity and ne wer beginnings for 2021.  
4.328.   To conclude, we look forward to India’s response to our questions and we shall examine the 
responses with the highest of interest. We wish the Indian delegation a productive and successful 
TPR 
CHINA  
4.329.   China warmly welcomes the delegation of India to this Trade Policy Review and expresses 
appreciation to the discussant, the Chair, and the Secretariat’s efforts and contributions to this Trade 
Policy Review.  
4.330.   For the purpose of this review, China has submitted questions to the India  and looks forward 
to Indian’s early responses.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.331.   China is pleased to see that the Indian economy continued to be strong for most of the 
period under review, averaging 7.4%. We note that measures taken by India for reform and 
liberalization played a key rol e to such positive outcome, notably by the introduction of the Goods 
and Services Tax (GST), banking reforms, and recent legislation to improve marketing and reduce 
regulation of agricultural products. We would encourage India to continue such efforts.  
4.332.   China commends India's active engagement in the WTO. During the review period, India 
ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement, with 72% of its category A commitments being 
implemented in 2017, and 23% in category B to be implemented in 2022, without any cate gory C. 
China also values India’s belief that global trade rules should foster economic development in 
developing countries and India’s efforts to preserve the special and differential treatment as WTO 
embedded rights for developing members. We also apprec iate India’s efforts in eliminating the unfair 
entitlements in the Agreement on Agriculture and defending the developing members’ rights in other 
areas.  
4.333.   With regard to India’s investment policies, China welcomes India’s endeavour to put in place 
investor friendly FDI policies, including opening new sectors and simplifying the approval process 
for foreign investment. We note India’s great increase in both in -ward and outward investment, esp. 
its outflow investment tripled from year 2014/2015 to 2018/2019. W e see the importance of open 
investment policies to the growth of India’s investment. By saying so, we would express our deep 
concern on the recent revised FDI policy, namely Review of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy 
for curbing opportunistic takeov ers/acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current COVID -19 
pandemic, which applies to countries sharing land borders with India, or where the beneficial owner 
of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country. Such measur e does not 
consistent with WTO non -discrimination principle and will surely affect the business interests both 
of India and these countries. In the meantime, we would also encourage India to join WTO 
Investment Facilitation Joint Statement Initiative.  
4.334.   As to the policies relevant to trade, China acknowledges India’s efforts to enhance the 
competitiveness in its manufacturing and service sectors by launching several initiatives, such as 
Make in India, and the Digital India Initiative. However, China remains concerned that some of the 
measures taken are not consistent with WTO principles and India’s commitments, such as the tariffs 
of some ICT products exceed the bound tariffs notified by India. We are also concerned with the 
application of “national security”  to the normal trade which led to more than 200 Chinese APPs 
banned in India. These measures have caused negative consequences for the supply chain and local 
consumers as well.  
4.335.   The Secretariat report also shows that India is an active user of trade remedy  measures and 
indicates that India accounts for 12% safeguard measures of all investigations initiated by WTO 
members. And among India’s 254 antidumping measures at the end of 2019, 58 of them had been 
in the place for more than 10 years. We urge India to resort to trade remedy measures in a more 
prudent manner and avoid taking measures that may disrupt the normal market running and normal 
competition.  
4.336.   China acknowledges India’s active engagement in the FTA negotiations and regional 
integration. In this re gard, we encourage India to join RCEP in an early date.  
4.337.   As to the bilateral trade, trade between China and India generally continued growing during 
the review period. According to China’s statistics, the bilateral trade increased to USD 92.8 billion in 
2019 from USD 70 billion in 2015. It is worthy to note that given the world trade fell sharply in 2020 
caused by the COVID -19 pandemic, the India’s export to China from January to October of 2020 
achieved a remarkable growth by 16.7%. As the two countries wit h the largest populations in the 
world, despite of some interferences, the good performance of trade well reflected strong trade 
potential between China and India. For this purpose, China looks forward to working with India to 
enhance our trade and economi c cooperation to benefit the development and people of our two 
countries and the region. We always believe that tomorrow will be better than today.  
4.338.   Finally, we wish this Trade Policy Review a great success.  
  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  THE PHILIPPINES  
4.339.   The Philippines associates itse lf with the ASEAN statement delivered by Singapore 
highlighting India’s important role as one of ASEAN’s key trading and investment partners.  
4.340.   The Philippine delegation warmly welcomes and congratulates the delegation of India led by 
Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secr etary, Department of Commerce in New Delhi and Ambassador Brajendra 
Navnit, Permanent Representative of the Indian Mission to the WTO in Geneva on their 7th Trade 
Policy Review. We also thank Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij of Thailand for her insightful 
comments as discussant, and the WTO Secretariat for a comprehensive report.  
4.341.   The Philippines enjoys a dynamic and longstanding bilateral relationship with India which 
was formally established in November 1949. India and the Philippines signed a Trade Agree ment in 
1979, which was further strengthened through the intensified partnership between India and the 
ASEAN in 1992. The Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between 
ASEAN and India was signed in October 2003 and served as legal basis  to conclude further 
agreements, including Trade in Goods Agreement, Trade in Services Agreement, and Investment 
Agreement that form the ASEAN -Indian Free Trade Area (AIFTA).  
4.342.   The Philippines and India also has the India -Philippines Joint Working Group (JWG ) on Trade 
and Investments under the joint Chairmanship of India Commerce Secretary and Philippines 
Undersecretary for Trade and Industry, which seeks to further strengthen the bilateral trade and 
investment flows between the two economies.  
4.343.   In 2019, India ranked as the Philippines’14th major trading partner, with total two -way trade 
valued at USD 2.37 billion. India was also the Philippines’ 17th export market, 13th import source, 
and 14th source of approved investments.  
4.344.   The Philippines recognizes the relev ant updates on India’s trade and investment policies 
during the review period, as well as its structural reforms to enable the country to bounce back on 
its targeted growth path. Economic reforms were continued and were focused on increasing 
efficiency and  inclusiveness, including the revitalization of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. We 
acknowledge these developments and look forward to learning more about these new policies 
through this trade policy review process.  
4.345.   Further, the Philippines notes from the G overnment report that India remained committed 
to the centrality of the WTO for an integrated global trading system and was an active participant in 
the efforts to safeguard and strengthen the WTO. India took the initiative to host two informal mini -
minist erial meetings in New Delhi, in March 2018 and May 2019 which focused on discussions on 
the need to preserve and enhance the functioning and credibility of the rules -based multilateral 
trading system, which is transparent and inclusive, with development as  the core objective. The 
Philippines commends India’s commitment to the multilateral trading system and encourages its 
continued constructive participation in the various work of the WTO, upholding its rights and 
obligations as a WTO Member.  
4.346.   The Philippine s has submitted some written questions on the TPR reports, and we thank the 
delegation of India in advance for their prompt replies.  
4.347.   In closing, the Philippines looks forward to further enhancing the mutually beneficial 
economic relations with India in th e bilateral, regional, and multilateral fora.  
MAURITIUS  ON BEHALF  OF THE AFRICAN  GROUP  
4.348.   The African Group is honoured to participate in the seventh Trade Policy Review of India. We 
warmly welcome Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce and his delegation, and 
look forward to a rich exchange at today’s session. We take this opportunity to thank Ambassador 
Aspelund, Chair of the TPRB, and the discussant, Ambassador Ms. Sunanta Kangvalkulkij for the 
introductory statement and the WTO Secretariat fo r the comprehensive report.  
4.349.   The African Group commends the Government of India for the significant jump in its ranking 
on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. Indeed, from 142nd place in 2015, India ranked WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  63rd in 2019. This is clear testimony that the various reforms and i mprovements in the trading 
environment brought about during the past few years, including the introduction of the GST, the 
implementation of the India Customs Single Window and the fast -tracking incorporation of 
companies, amongst others, are yielding posi tive results.  
4.350.   We also note that the Services sector in India, which accounts for more than 50% of India’s 
GDP, has established itself as the most important contributor to the Indian economy. India has 
significantly diversified its market for trade in goods  and we note that this has helped it to address 
the sluggish global demand. Unfortunately, trade exchanges between India and Africa has decreased 
in recent times, despite the fact that India and Africa remain strongly connected.  
4.351.   Indeed, the historical ties  between the African Continent and India based on common values, 
mutual respect and enduring friendship need no elaboration. We are trusted and reliable partners 
as evidenced by our continuous engagement through the India -Africa Forum Summits.  
4.352.   On the 1st o f January this year, the African Continental Free Trade Area became operational.  
The AFCTA offers a huge market of 1.3 billion people and an economic space of high value space for 
trade and investment. Africa stands ready to engage in higher levels of tra de with India as the 
Government of India pursues its plans to become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024 -2025. We look 
forward to working together, inter alia, to further improve access for African products in the Indian 
market whilst acknowledging the duty -free quota free access already granted to African LDCs.  
4.353.   Various new initiatives taken by India, including the ‘Make in India 2.0’ Initiative, the “Digital 
India” Programme and the Startup India Initiative seem to be very relevant for Africa. We look 
forward  to benefiting from these experiences as we gear up to make of the African CFTA an 
instrument of sustainable economic growth that will help integrate Africa in the global value chain.  
4.354.   At a time when the global population and governments are still reeling f rom the effects of 
the COVID -19 pandemic, the recent approval by the WHO and some national agencies of certain 
vaccines has brought fresh hope that we will soon overcome the health aspect of the pandemic if we 
are able to ensure timely, affordable and equi table access to the vaccines and therapeutics. 
However, the challenges of economic recovery would remain and there are high expectations from 
the WTO as the main pillar of the multilateral trading system to deliver both on the health and 
economic recovery fronts. In this regard, we commend the efforts of India and its contribution in 
our common task of ensuring a fair, transparent and predictable multilateral trading system  In 
particular, the African Group wishes to highlight India’s constructive role in s eeking to unlock the 
Appellate Body impasse; in the discussions on WTO reforms; in the services negotiations; on Special 
and Differential Treatment and the Fisheries Subsidies negotiations, and more recently on the 
proposal for a TRIPS waiver to support th e global response to the COVID -19 pandemic.  
4.355.   The African Group looks forward to working closely with the delegation of India over the 
course of this year as MC12 shapes up with the overall objective of achieving a development centred, 
fair and balanced outc ome at the Ministerial Conference.  
4.356.   The African Group wishes the Indian delegation a very successful Review.  
MAURITIUS  
4.357.   The Mauritius -India relationship goes back in History and multiple adjectives have been used 
to describe this relationship ranging from un ique to special. Suffice to say that Mauritius and India 
have a common history and we believe that our future is also bound in so many ways.  
4.358.   Our interest in the trade and investment policies of India therefore remains very high both 
as an investor and reci pient of investments.  
4.359.   Mauritius and India are in the process of finalising a Comprehensive Economic Partnership 
Agreement. We have reached agreement in a number of areas already and look forward to also 
conclude the chapter on Economic Cooperation soon. We  believe this will provide us with a strong 
foundation for strengthening economic and business ties.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.360.   Turning to the reports, we commend the Indian authorities for actively implementing the 
National IPR Policy which is, inter alia, aimed at strengthening th e IPR legal framework and 
enforcement as well as generating value through the commercialization of IPR. The COVID -19 
pandemic has shown that as one of the most influential developing economies, India has taken a 
leadership role in supporting a fairer multi lateral trading system that would take on -board the 
interests of all Members, including small developing States. In this regard, Mauritius fully supports 
the proposal put forward by India and South Africa to waive certain provisions of the TRIPS 
Agreement to support the global response to the COVID -19 pandemic. We believe this would provide 
the necessary policy space to developing countries to meet their needs without the threat of having 
to defend certain measures against claims of IPR infringements.  
4.361.   Mauritius has always advocated that a one size fits all cannot stand the road for trade and 
development. The unique situation of India with its diverse realities is a case in point. You may 
produce enough for export, but you must first ensure the food security  of your population and the 
livelihood of your farmers. This is how we read the Jan Dhan Yojana and other schemes managed 
by the central and state administrations as a means to stabilize domestic food prices and ensure 
food security. India is also an examp le where the Government addresses hunger and price volatility 
through the effective use of PSH in line with Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), which calls 
for ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, as well as promoting sustaina ble 
agriculture.  
4.362.   Mauritius congratulates India for the strong economic growth it has witnessed in the years 
prior to the pandemic and which has led to the improvement of its per capita income and life 
expectancy. We have no doubt that with the various refo rms, the country’s economy will quickly 
bound back from the effects of the pandemic and continue in its development path.  
4.363.   Let me conclude by wishing the Indian delegation a successful Review.  
LAO PDR 
4.364.   First of all, the delegation of the Lao PDR would like t o associate itself with the ASEAN 
statement delivered by Singapore.  
4.365.   On behalf of the Lao PDR delegation, I would like to warmly welcome the delegation of India 
to its 7th Trade Policy Review meeting. We are confident that this meeting would contribute 
significantly to the trade policy review of India.  
4.366.   We are pleased to see that the India's economic growth continued to be strong for most of 
the period under review and with the positive developments to transform India as one of the driving 
forces of global ec onomic growth. However, the current impact is expected to be extensive for India 
and entire the globe.  
4.367.   India is the Lao PDR’s 5th largest two -way trading partner and our fourth largest export 
market. Equating to nearly USD 126 million in 2019, our trade wa s dominated by precious metals. 
We are confident that our bilateral trading relationship still has enormous upside potential and will 
continue to be further enhanced.  
4.368.   We are of the view that India is a key player in the world trade and the global economy. We 
would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation and commendation India for 
its strong supporter of the multilateral trading system, with active participation and engagements in 
advancing Doha Development Agenda, particularly in p roviding Duty Free and Quota Free treatment 
to the LDCs.  
4.369.   In conclusion, we would like to express our sincere congratulation to the Permanent 
Representative of India, H.E. Ambassador Mr. Brajendra Navnit and his team for the hard work and 
wish India every s uccess in its 7th Trade Policy Review.  
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  VIET  NAM 
4.370.   On behalf of Viet Nam’s delegation, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to the 
distinguished delegation of India led by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce 
to the seventh of Trade Policy Review. I would like to thank the Government of India and the WTO 
Secretariat for the preparation of comprehensive reports for this Review, especially under the 
circumstances of the COVID -19 pandemic. My thanks also go to discussant H.E. Ms Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Thailand for insightful observations and 
introduction.  
4.371.   Viet Nam associates itself with the ASEAN statement delivered by Singapore and would like 
to add some following points.  
4.372.   Firstly, Viet Nam shares the same opinion with India that respecting trade rul es of the WTO 
is the only solution to address the unfolding crisis and will continue to play a positive role to establish 
a fair and equitable multilateral trading system. We are happy to note that India’s economic growth 
maintained a relatively high rate of average 7.36% annually during the review period and 4.2% for 
the year 2019 -2020, despite the increasing global uncertainties, trade tensions as well as the 
COVID -19. We congratulate India on this success in a challenging environment.  
4.373.   Secondly, India is in top 10 significant trading partners of Viet Nam in recent years. In the 
period of 2017 -2019, our bilateral trade turnover grew 27.3% year on year. In the first 11 months 
of 2020, the bilateral trade has seen a considerable drop, which was only USD 8.8 b illion and 14,4% 
less than the same period in 2019. The key reason for the drop has been the COVID -19 pandemic. 
However, a number of measures taken by India also raised some concerns. Viet Nam, as a member 
of ASEAN - a trading partner of India, is working closely with India to find suitable solutions for these 
issues.  
4.374.   Thirdly, Viet Nam are willing to cooperate with India to facilitate the development of the 
regional supply chains, as well as contribute to the economic recovery from the COVID -19 
pandemic’s impacts.  
4.375.   India is an original Member of the WTO. We highly value India’s constructive efforts in 
defending and preserving the multilateral trading system, in particular upholding its WTO’s 
obligations and commitments, and actively participating in various multilateral and plurilateral 
negotiations.  
4.376.   In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and commend Ambassador 
Brajendra Navnit and his able team for the excellent preparation for this Review, as well as their 
constructive contribution an d engagement in the WTO activities. We wish India a successful Trade 
Policy Review.  
CAMBODIA  
4.377.   My delegation joins other to express our warmest welcome the delegation of India led by 
Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary of the department of Commerce of India. Our thanks also go to 
Her Excellency Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij for her insightful assessment reflecting the 
current trade policies and economic performance of India. We also thank Ind ia and the Secretariat 
for their reports.  
4.378.   Cambodia associates itself with the statement made by Singapore on behalf of ASEAN 
Member States. We acknowledge the important role of India as ASEAN’s dialogue partner, which has 
strengthened after the ASEAN -India Summit in 2002 in Cambodia. As the result of the said summit, 
trade and investment has been growing and hence India becomes the ASEAN’s sixth largest external 
source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2018.  
4.379.   We would also like to congratulate India for  its remarkable economic performance and 
rebounding from negative growth at the end of 2019 to 5.2% in February 2020.  
4.380.   Cambodia and India enjoy warm and friendly relations since the 1950s. India and Cambodia 
re-established formal diplomatic relations in 19 81. WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.381.   The two countries signed four key agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation during the 
visit of our Prime Minister in January 2018. The agreements include an MoU on cultural exchange 
programme and water resource development project. India and Cambodia  also agreed on facilitating 
exchanges between senior -level and capacity -building projects. To promote trade and business 
relations, there were some bilateral meetings such as bilateral meetings between our Prime Minister 
and Minister of Commerce of India as well as bilateral meeting with Minister of Commerce of 
Cambodia on trade improvement and connectivity.  
4.382.   Trade between the two countries has been growing steadily in the last few years. In 2019, 
total trade of both sides was around USD 256 million which increased by 19% compared to 2018 
that was about USD 207 million. Cambodia exported around USD 65 million and imported about 
USD 191 million from India in 2019. The products that Cambodia exported to India including textile, 
footwear, natural rubber, bicyc les, salt, stone and some other agricultural products such as fruit, 
nuts, spices and vegetable while imported from India such as machinery, automobile parts, drugs, 
pharmaceuticals, yarn, leather, prepared foods, paperboard and other chemical and engineer ing 
products.  
4.383.   We take note of the recent increase of investment from India. The major investment from 
India are in the field of agricultural machinery, power, construction and mining. We would like to 
welcome more investment from India, especially for foo d processing and other labour -intensive 
industries.  
4.384.   We thank and appreciate the delegation of India in Geneva led by His Excellency Ambassador 
Brajendra Navnit and his team, for their friendship and good cooperation. We commend India for 
putting its effor ts and active participation in supporting rules -based multilateral trading system and 
support most of LDC’s issues. Cambodia would also like to thank India for providing trade 
preferences to LDCs including the preferential tariff treatment, duty -free and q uota-free treatment 
to LDCs around 94.2% which has mentioned in paragraph 2.27 of the Secretariat report, as well as 
providing the preferential rules of origin. We would like to encourage India to provide other technical 
assistances to LDCs to increase our  integration into the world trading system especially during this 
COVID -19 Pandemic.  
4.385.   Finally, we commit to working closely with India in bilateral and multilateral fields to 
strengthen our good cooperation for economic growth and development.  
4.386.   I wish India  a successful 7th Trade Policy Review.  
URUGUAY  
4.387.   Uruguay desea saludar cordialmente a la delegación de la India, encabezada por el 
Secretario de Comercio, Dr. Anup Wadhawan, en oportunidad del séptimo Examen de sus políticas 
comerciales. Asimismo, agradecemo s a la Representante Permanente de Tailandia, Embajadora 
Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, por su ponencia, y a la Secretaría por su completo informe.  
4.388.   India es un importante actor en la economía mundial y el sistema multilateral de comercio. 
Sus niveles de crecimient o económico fueron destacables a lo largo del período, con una tasa media 
del 7,4% hasta 2018/2019, y se vieron acompañados de una mejora en indicadores como el ingreso 
per cápita y la esperanza de vida, si bien luego el crecimiento se ralentizó y el país sufrió el impacto 
de la crisis del COVID -19. 
4.389.   El país ha mantenido la estabilidad macroeconómica, con una inflación controlada y niveles 
récord de entrada de IED, y el Gobierno tiene una agenda de reformas modernizadoras tendientes 
a asegurar un crecimiento  inclusivo. En tal sentido, Uruguay alienta a India a proseguir los esfuerzos 
de reforma hacia una mayor apertura que le permita continuar mejorando sus niveles de ingresos y 
la calidad de vida de su población.  
4.390.   En lo que refiere a la relación bilateral, nu estro comercio de mercancías en el período de 
análisis osciló entre un mínimo de USD 151 millones en 2016 y un máximo de USD 198 millones en 
2018, con una balanza comercial ampliamente favorable para India. Las ventas desde nuestro país 
han promediado cerc a de USD 14 millones anuales, en tendencia descendente en los últimos años, 
siendo los productos principales la lana y la madera. En cuanto a las importaciones, las procedentes WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  de la India promediaron USD 163 millones anuales, y consistieron principalmente  en automóviles, 
maquinaria y aparatos eléctricos, y plásticos.  
4.391.   Las inversiones de India en Uruguay se han incrementado considerablemente en los últimos 
años, destacándose especialmente las realizadas en el sector servicios, con la operación en nuestro 
país de empresas importantes, como Tata Consultancy Services, en el área de las tecnologías de la 
información y los servicios empresariales.  
4.392.   El MERCOSUR y la India cuentan con un limitado Acuerdo de Comercio Preferencial, entrado 
en vigor en 2009, que Uruguay  espera pueda ser ampliado en el futuro cercano para contribuir a 
expandir significativamente los flujos de comercio en los productos de interés de las partes, en 
consonancia con el potencial existente.  
4.393.   En esta línea, Uruguay mantiene el interés en exporta r frutas cítricas y manzanas al mercado 
indio, y espera que los procesos de habilitación fitosanitaria correspondientes culminen a la brevedad 
de forma favorable.  
4.394.   India y Uruguay coinciden en el gran valor atribuido a la OMC y la función central de la 
mism a en el sistema multilateral de comercio basado en normas, así como en la necesidad de 
resolver las dificultades en las que esta se encuentra. En ese marco, compartimos la importancia de 
contar nuevamente con un sistema de solución de diferencias plenament e funcional, con una 
instancia de apelación independiente e imparcial.  
4.395.   Al mismo tiempo, coincidimos en el objetivo de tener normas comerciales multilaterales, 
incluyendo en el ámbito de la agricultura, que promuevan el desarrollo económico de los Miembros, 
en un sistema comercial justo y orientado al mercado. Esperamos trabajar con India y los demás 
Miembros en resultados que vayan en ese sentido en la Duodécima Conferencia Ministerial y más 
adelante, incluyendo en áreas clave como la ayuda interna  y el acceso a los mercados en agricultura, 
y en el impostergable logro de un acuerdo ambicioso en materia de subsidios a la pesca, cuyas 
disciplinas contribuyan de forma tangible al objetivo de sostenibilidad buscado.  
4.396.   Deseamos destacar que India ratificó el Acuerdo de Facilitación del Comercio en 2016 y creó 
una institucionalidad nacional para implementar sus compromisos, al tiempo que introdujo una serie 
de medidas que han tenido un impacto positivo en el entorno comercial, incluyendo la ventanilla 
única aduanera y un programa de operadores económicos autorizados digitalizado, la optimización 
de los procedimientos de despacho y las auditorías posteriores al despacho teniendo en cuenta el 
riesgo, entre otros.  
4.397.   Dicho esto, Uruguay observa que India continúa r ecurriendo a instrumentos como los 
aranceles, precios mínimos de importación, restricciones a la importación y la exportación, y 
requisitos de licencias, para regular el comercio y la situación del mercado doméstico. Los frecuentes 
cambios en los aranceles  y demás instrumentos de política comercial generan incertidumbre para 
los operadores económicos. En particular, se toma nota de que los aranceles promedio aplicados por 
India han aumentado en 2020/2021, encontrándose los productos agropecuarios entre los más 
protegidos. Al mismo tiempo, India aplica en la actualidad considerables subsidios a la producción y 
venta de alimentos en su mercado doméstico, pero también en los mercados internacionales.  
4.398.   Recientemente, India se convirtió en el primer Miembro en inv ocar la cláusula de paz de la 
Decisión de Bali sobre Constitución de Existencias Públicas con fines de Seguridad Alimentaria, tras 
haber excedido sus niveles de apoyo autorizados para el arroz en el período 2018/2019. Dada la 
importancia de este antecedent e, Uruguay comparte el interés expresado por otros Miembros en 
contar con toda la información necesaria para evaluar el cumplimiento de las condiciones 
establecidas en dicha Decisión para todos los productos pertinentes, y confía en la colaboración de 
India con ese fin.  
4.399.   Al mismo tiempo, con relación al anuncio por parte de India de una medida de certificación 
de la ausencia de elementos genéticamente modificados en una serie de productos importados, 
Uruguay desea aprovechar la oportunidad para reiterar la i mportancia de que las medidas 
establecidas para asegurar la inocuidad y salubridad de los alimentos estén basadas en principios 
científicos y se apliquen teniendo en cuenta el objetivo de reducir al mínimo los efectos negativos 
sobre el comercio, en línea con lo establecido en el Acuerdo MSF.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.400.   Por último, pero no menos importante, reconocemos la enorme importancia de las MIPYMES 
en la economía de la India, evidenciadas por las políticas de apoyo orientadas a las mismas a nivel 
nacional y estatal, referidas e n el Informe de la Secretaría. Por lo tanto, invitamos a India a apoyar 
el paquete de recomendaciones aprobado recientemente por el Grupo de Trabajo Informal sobre las 
MIPYMES, en el convencimiento de que dichas recomendaciones tendrán efectos beneficiosos  para 
el tejido empresarial de dicho país. Asimismo, le recordamos que las puertas del Grupo de Trabajo 
Informal están abiertas para recibirla, convencidos de que podrán hacer un aporte sustantivo a los 
trabajos en su seno.  
4.401.   Para finalizar, quisiéramos reit erar nuestra apreciación por este nuevo ejercicio de 
intercambio sobre las prácticas comerciales de la India, al tiempo de reconocer al equipo de su 
Misión en Ginebra, encabezado por el Embajador Brajendra Navnit, por su trabajo y participación 
activa en l a Organización, y desearles una exitosa conclusión del presente Examen.  
SRI LANKA  
4.402.   Sri Lanka welcomes the delegation of India led by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary of the 
Department of Commerce of India, who joins this meeting remotely with his team from New Delhi 
due to the prevailing global health situation, for the 7th Review of the trade policies and practices 
of India. We thank Ambassador Madam Sunanta, the discussant, for her report and the WTO 
Secretariat and the Government of India for their comprehens ive reports made available to the 
delegations in advance of this meeting.  
4.403.   It is with great interest that my delegation notes the continued economic advancements of 
India, despite minor slowdown shown in the latter part of the review period. The strong eco nomic 
growth of 7.4% in average is a clear indication of it. Though India’s overall trade policy remain 
broadly unchanged during the period under review, it is noteworthy the recent reforms introduced 
in the various economic activities, including tax refor ms, banking reforms and agriculture sector 
reforms. Our traders continue to be of concerned of frequent changes being made to India’s trade 
policy measures and instruments through various circulars and notifications, in particular pertaining 
to Free Trade Agreements, which creates uncertainty for many traders.  
4.404.   Notwithstanding minor setbacks, India has been able to maintain its position as an important 
player in global trade arena, while being one of the largest trading partners for many countries, 
includin g neighbouring Sri Lanka. India is the 3rd largest export destination for Sri Lankan products 
with an average share of 6.5% and the 2nd largest source of imports with an average share of 20%.  
4.405.   India maintains a considerable gap of 33.2% between its MFN appl ied duties and bound 
duties at multilateral level, while this gap is much higher for agricultural products. A slight increase 
in average applied MFN tariff is observed compared to the previous review period and a significant 
difference of 24.7% is being ma intained between simple average applied tariff of agricultural and 
non-agricultural products.  
4.406.   On bilateral front, in terms of total trade, India is Sri Lanka’s number one trading partner. 
Trade balance is continued to be in favour of India, recording more  than 4 times of Sri Lanka’s 
exports to India each year. Nearly two -thirds of Sri Lanka’s exports to India are happening through 
Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) which is Sri Lanka’s first bilateral FTA signed in 1998. 
Both neighbouring countrie s are parties to a number of Regional and Preferential Trade Agreements 
namely, South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA), the Agreement on South Asian Free 
Trade Area (SAFTA), the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP), Asia Pacific Trade Ag reement 
(APTA) and the proposed Agreement on the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi -Sectoral Technical and 
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).  
4.407.   Sri Lankan authorities continue to engage with their counterparts in resolving ISFTA -related 
market access issues, w hich hinder the realisation of potential benefits of the bilateral FTA trade in 
goods. The recently issued guidelines for the enforcement of the ‘rules of origin’ for imports under 
preferential trade agreements (CAROTAR) has created an additional burden fo r most of our 
exporters, who use ISFTA concessions to enter the Indian import market.  
4.408.   Removal of quantitative restrictions and minimum import prices imposed by India on certain 
products imported from Sri Lanka, customs clearance and sample testing procedu res relating to WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  certain products, excessive documentation charges and delays and SPS related issues are few 
examples of key issues being addressed in this context.  
4.409.   In addition, representations are being made on different trade remedy measures imposed 
by India on products imported from of Sri Lanka. Negotiations and discussions are taking place at 
different configurations including, Joint Commission, which is convened at the level of Foreign 
Ministers and Economic Policy dialogue convened at the level of Co mmerce Secretaries to discuss 
these hurdles.  
4.410.   As a result of these continuous deliberations, two countries have agreed to commence 
discussions on an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) in 2016. 11 rounds of 
negotiations have been held so f ar to discuss chapters on Goods, Services, Investments, SPS & TBT, 
Trade Remedies, Rules of Origin, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Economic and 
Technology Cooperation and Dispute settlement.  
4.411.   The two countries have singed a Customs Cooperation Agreement on in 2015 and an 
Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation in 2013. India is the 3rd largest investment partner 
of Sri Lanka and the largest source of tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka with a share of 18.5% in 2019.  
4.412.   In concluding, my delegation appreciates India’s highly valued contribution to the 
multilateral trading system and its active and constructive engagement in the negotiations. As a 
major proponent of the Multilateral Trading System, India is active in WTO deliberations of interest 
to the developing country Members. India makes sure its adherence to the nodal principles of the 
multilateral trading system in formulating their international trade policy.  
4.413.   It is also my utmost duty to place on record my Government’s sincere appreciation for  an 
array of assistance extended to Sri Lanka by India during 2020 in support of its efforts in containing 
the challenges of COVID -19 Pandemic. The recent announcement that India has become a reliable 
and economical supplier of vaccines and other medical s olutions for combating the Pandemic gives 
all of us in the developing world a very great hope for future.  
4.414.   In conclusion, the dynamic role played by Ambassador Brajendra Navnit and his able and 
dynamic team in Geneva in proactively engaging in ongoing acti vities of WTO, is highly 
commendable. My delegation has immensely been benefitted from such close associations and 
interactions.   
4.415.   We sincerely wish Indian delegation a successful deliberation on its 7th Trade Policy Review.  
JAMAICA  
4.416.   Jamaica warmly welcomes  the distinguished delegation of India led by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, 
Secretary of the Department of Commerce to this seventh Trade Policy Review. We thank India for 
its very informative and comprehensive report which reflects the hard work which has gone into this 
process. In this regard, we wish to recognize Ambassador Navnit and the staff of the Permanent 
Mission of India to the WTO.  
4.417.   In addition, Jamaica wishes to express appreciation for the invaluable insights provided by 
our discussant, Ambassador Sunanta of Thailand, as well as to the Secretariat team for its 
contribution to this Review. Thanks also to you, Chair, for the expert manner in which you continue 
to guide the work of this body.  
4.418.   We are pleased to be participating in this meeting as Jamaica and I ndia share strong and 
longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels. 
Trade and investment constitute important pillars of this partnership. Over the years, the flow of the 
vibrant bilateral trade, has generally been in India’s favour. In 2019, Jamaica’s total imports from 
India were valued at approximately USD 61 million and mainly consisted of pharmaceutical products 
and chemicals. In contrast, Jamaica’s principal exports to India are food products, al uminium, and 
rum. There has also been active and high -level engagement between our two countries aimed at 
further bolstering the existing collaboration, including in the areas of Information and 
Communications Technology and the Creative Industries, which are of particular interest to Jamaica.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.419.   At the regional level, India has also been a friend of CARICOM, providing important 
capacity -building assistance to the region through its Technical and Economic Cooperation 
Programme (ITEC), as well as support to se veral CARICOM member States for humanitarian relief 
and infrastructural development in response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and 
Maria.  
4.420.   Despite challenges in its internal and external environments, India’s economy has performed 
well and demonstrated considerable resilience throughout the reporting period. Notwithstanding the 
socio-economic fall -out from the current COVID -19 pandemic, the c ountry is nonetheless expected 
to maintain a positive albeit reduced growth rate for 2020, which has been projected at 
approximately 4.2% down from 5.1% in 2019. This is commendable and is a result of the country’s 
strong macroeconomic fundamentals, includ ing in terms of monetary and fiscal management; a high 
degree of policy stability, as well as several reforms implemented by the Government in areas, such 
as trade, agriculture, taxation, banking and corporate services.   
4.421.   In terms of trade policy, Jamaica commends India for its consistent and strategic approach. 
We note the stability in the country’s Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) which is highly integrated across 
the Government and covers a five -year period at a time, has greatly contributed to India’s positiv e 
economic growth and development, its trade performance and has enhanced its participation in 
international trade and global supply chains. In keeping with this thrust, India has, through several 
trade agreements, strengthened its ties with key bilateral and regional partners within Asia and 
across the globe.  
4.422.   In addition, we note that focus has been rightly placed by India on increasing its 
competitiveness and economic diversification, as well as strengthening its investment regime to 
attract higher inflow s of foreign direct investment. Undoubtedly, these have collectively contributed 
to the significant strides made by India in recent years in the Global Innovation Index, the World 
Bank Logistics Performance Index, and the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Busines s Report.  
4.423.   This notwithstanding, India should seek to strengthen ongoing measures to enhance the 
participation of small and medium enterprises, including women in trade. Importantly, also, we note 
that the country’s services sector, which is mainly centred on software and business services, has 
continued to be the main economic driver, while the agriculture and manufacturing sectors have 
been steadily in decline. Against this backdrop, ongoing efforts by the government to promote 
greater economic diversifica tion in order to further advance its national development priorities, as 
well as its trade and economic prospects should continue to be prioritized. India should further seek 
to address all existing constraints to trade that could potentially hinder the re alization of the 
aforementioned objectives.  
4.424.   India is a founding Member of the WTO and an important player in global trade. It therefore 
continues to accord high priority to the work and activities of the Organization, to fulfilling its related 
obligations,  to constructively engaging, as well as demonstrating its firm commitment to the 
rules-based, multilateral trading system. These efforts should be maintained.  
4.425.   Having ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement in April 2016, India has also been actively 
implementing a broad range of supporting measures, including a Customs Single Window; a Customs 
Electronic Gateway; a new Authorized Operators Programme; the Direct Port Delivery and the Direct 
Port of Entry facilities, to name a few. India has also been makin g substantial efforts, further to the 
adoption of its national policy on Intellectual Property Rights in May 2016, to strengthen its domestic 
legal and administrative framework for the regulation and enforcement of intellectual property and 
related rights.  These measures are welcomed and should be further strengthened.  
4.426.   In closing, Jamaica congratulates again India on its efforts and extends to the delegation 
our very best wishes for a successful seventh Trade Policy Review.  
MYANMAR  
4.427.   Myanmar aligns itself wit h the ASEAN statement delivered by Singapore.  
4.428.   As the only ASEAN country which shares the land border with India, Myanmar is a bridge 
between ASEAN and India, which is a Strategic Dialogue Partner of ASEAN.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.429.   At the outset, we wish to express our appreciation s to Her Excellency Ambassador Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij for her comprehensive remarks. We also welcome Ambassador Brajendra Navnit and 
the Indian delegation to the 7th Trade Policy Review.  
4.430.   Our appreciation also goes to the Secretariat for its report (WT/TPR/ S/403) and the Indian 
delegation for the Government report (WT/TPR/G/403).  
4.431.   Myanmar and India have maintained cordial relations since ancient times. We also share the 
long inland border and maritime boundary between our two countries. Furthermore, we have m any 
affinities in our social, cultural and religious areas.  
4.432.   We also cherished and upheld our diplomatic relations since 1951 and further strengthened 
with the visits of the highest levels.  
4.433.   At the invitation of President of the Republic of India, Presiden t of the Republic of the Union 
of Myanmar paid a State visit to India in February 2020.  
4.434.   Such high -level visit reinforced the tradition of high -level interactions, which symbolize the 
strong friendly relations existing between the two neighbours.  
4.435.   During th e bilateral visit, the Leaders reaffirmed their commitments to further strengthen 
partnership, explore new avenues of cooperation in order to expand bilateral relations for the mutual 
benefit of the two countries and peoples.  
4.436.   They also acknowledged the nee d to make efforts to enhance bilateral trade and economic 
engagement to their full potentials.  
4.437.   Moreover, both sides reiterated their strong commitment to further consolidate friendly and 
amicable bilateral ties and agreed to intensify engagements at all l evels.  
4.438.   From the perspective of bilateral trade, India is Myanmar’s 4th largest trading partner after 
Thailand, China and Singapore. Myanmar also appreciates the increased investments from India and 
recognized its position as the 12th largest foreign invest or among 51 countries doing business in 
Myanmar.  
4.439.   Our bilateral trade was boomed in the financial year 2016 -2017 but it was later gradually 
decreased due to decline of exports of pulses and beans to India.  
4.440.   In this connection, the 7th Meeting of Myanmar -India Joint Trade Committee, held virtually 
in November 2020, agreed to improve connectivity, market access and effective utilization of 
Duty-Free Tariff Preference with a view to increasing bilateral trade and socio -economic 
developments.  
4.441.   Myanmar commends t he policy reform measures and macroeconomic stability in the 
Republic of India. We also recognize its increased positions in the World Bank’s Doing Business 
Index, Logistics Performance Index, and the Global Innovation Index.  
4.442.   Myanmar is also inspired by t he Visions of the Indian Government and its National 
Infrastructure Pipeline (2019 -2025), which is the Whole -of-Government exercise to provide 
world -class infrastructure and improving the quality of life to all Indian citizens.  
4.443.   Before I conclude, Myanmar h ighly appreciates India’s efforts to enhance production 
capacities of essential drugs and related materials in fighting against the COVID 19 Pandemic.  
4.444.   We wish to assure our continued support to India for its efforts and its high reputation in the 
healthca re system.  
4.445.   I wish the Republic of India every success in its 7th TPR process.  
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  AFGHANISTAN  
4.446.   It is my pleasure to be among you today. It is my first time officially taking the floor as the 
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the WTO. At a time when the world 
has plunged into uncertainty and our normal mode of conduct is disrupted due to the pandemic, I 
believe that the WTO matters more than ever. I look forward to working with you all towards 
strengthening the WTO especially regar ding development.  
4.447.   Afghanistan extends its gratitude to you and to the Secretariat for convening this meeting 
and for preparing the comprehensive Report. I would like to thank our discussant, H.E. Ambassador 
Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, Permanent Representative o f Thailand to the WTO and WIPO, for her 
insightful remarks, and welcome India’s capital and Geneva -based delegates to the meeting, led by 
Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary of the Department of Commerce.  
4.448.   In particular, we wish to extend our congratulations to In dia for its seventh Trade Policy 
Review, especially to Ambassador Brajendra Navnit, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of 
India to the WTO, for his leadership, and his competent team for their constant good work here in 
Geneva.  
4.449.   We are impressed to not e that India's economic growth continued to be strong for most of 
the period under review, averaging 7.4% until 2018/19. India’s increasing share growth in global 
exports and imports. Similarly, India’s climb in the crucial economic and growth -related indi cators 
such as the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking due to improvement in the trading environment, 
Global Innovation Index, and the logistic performance Index.  
4.450.   We commend India’s commitment to trade liberalization under the multilateral trading 
system c entered on the WTO. The number of reforms which were implemented since the country’s 
last Trade Policy Review in 2015 is remarkable. The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax; the 
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code; banking reforms to improve supervision of banks and non -banking 
financial companies; and legislation to improve marketing and reduce regulation of agricultural 
products are some good examples.  
4.451.   We commend India for ratifying the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in 2016 and for 
setting up Nation al Committee on Trade Facilitation. This has resulted in the implementation of 
several measures to facilitate trade, such as a reduction in the number of documents required, and 
the automation of the customs clearance system for imports and exports.  
4.452.   Afghan istan values its friendly relations with India. The relations between Afghanistan and 
India have a long history, and the Afghan people have a strong sense of trust and affinity towards 
India, as a country that has achieved rapid economic growth and develop ment. In the recent past, 
India-Afghanistan relations have been further strengthened by the Strategic Partnership Agreement, 
which was signed between the two countries in October 2011.  
4.453.   Given the geographical proximity and historical linkages, India has bee n a natural trading 
partner for Afghanistan and is currently the largest market for our exports. The total bilateral trade 
between India and Afghanistan for 2019 -20 is estimated at USD 1.5 billion. This indicates a 200% 
increase since the last trade policy  review of India and a clear indication of effective efforts facilitating 
the trade in the region. While there is immense potential to expand bilateral trade, the difficulties in 
transit has been a major hurdle and we look forward to resolving it in the ne ar future.  
4.454.   The operationalization of Chabahar Port in December 2017 was an important initiative in 
strengthening bilateral trade between the two countries. The port has so far handled over 
5000 containers ferrying over 110000 tons of wheat and over 2000 t ons of pulses sent by India to 
Afghanistan via Chabahar. In 2019, Afghanistan shipped around 700 tons of agricultural and mineral 
products to India through this port.  
4.455.   Furthermore, following the success of the first and second edition of India -Afghanistan T rade 
and Investment Show, titled “Passage to Prosperity” in 2017 and 2018, the third edition of the event 
was held in September 2019 in Delhi. Trade worth USD 33.6 million were signed and 
USD 23.3 million in pre -contract agreements were discussed.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.456.   Consider ing the recent challenges facing the multilateral trading system, Afghanistan counts 
on India’s role among others in preserving an open, rules -based multilateral trading system with the 
WTO at its core, which is transparent and inclusive, with development as the core objective. We 
thank India for taking the initiative to host two informal mini -ministerial meetings in New Delhi, in 
March 2018 and May 2019 in order to build a consensus to safeguard and strengthen the WTO. Also, 
we commend India for co -sponsor ing two proposals to resolve the Appellate Body impasse.  
4.457.   We would like to thank India for providing duty -free and quota -free treatment to LDCs, 
following the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration in December 2005.  
4.458.   I conclude my statement by wishing India’s  delegation a very successful and productive 
Trade Policy Review.  
ZIMBABWE  
4.459.   We align ourselves with the statement delivered by Mauritius on behalf of the African Group.  
4.460.   The delegation of Zimbabwe has the honour to participate in this, the seventh Trade Policy 
Review of India. We extend our greetings to Dr. Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce 
and his delegation, and look forward to a rich exchange at today’s sessio n. We thank Ambassador 
Aspelund, Chair of the Trade Policy Review Body and the discussant, Ambassador Sunanta, for their 
introductory statements which have highlighted the numerous trade policy measures taken by India 
during the period under review. We als o thank the Secretariat for the comprehensive report and all 
the documents and logistical arrangements for this Trade Policy Review.  
4.461.   The delegation of Zimbabwe commends the Government of India for successfully 
implementing Ease of Doing Business reforms, w hich have resulted in India being ranked 63rd in 
2019 on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. This was a remarkable improvement from 
the previous ranking of 142 in 2015. This positive development has been anchored on reforms, 
which include the in troduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the implementation of the India 
Customs Single Window, and the ease of incorporation of companies, amongst many other reforms.  
4.462.   Zimbabwe and India enjoy excellent bilateral relations. Economic ties between Zim babwe 
and India date back to the 17th Century, during the time of the Munhumutapa Empire for those who 
know the history of Zimbabwe when strong trade links in textiles, metals, minerals, spices and salt 
were developed between the Munhumutapa Kingdom and In dian merchants. In modern times, total 
trade between Zimbabwe and India peaked at around USD 257 million in 2015 and has since gone 
down to USD 169 million in 2019.  
4.463.   Zimbabwe continues to export mainly unprocessed raw commodities to India whilst imports 
are primarily in the pharmaceutical, electrical and steel categories. Our immediate priority is to 
increase, diversify the trade basket, and bridge the large trade deficit between our two countries. 
There is also a significant presence of Indian -owned compani es in Zimbabwe. For instance, Indian 
owned companies control 80% of the edible oils industry; 70% of the beverages market; and Indian 
drugs consist of close to 70% of the market share in Zimbabwe.  
4.464.   Cooperation between businesses falls under the auspices of the Zimbabwe -India Chamber 
of Commerce, which was established in 2012, and technical cooperation and capacity building is 
implemented through various programmes under the India -Africa Forum.  
4.465.   We wish India a successful Trade Policy Review.  
MOZAMBIQUE  
4.466.   Mozamb ique aligns itself with the statement delivered by Mauritius on behalf of the African 
Group.  
4.467.   Mozambique welcomes the Indian delegation to this 7th Trade Policy Review led by 
H.E. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary of Commerce. We thank and congratulate the Indian Government 
which, despite challenges of the moment, continued engaged in preparations of this T rade Policy WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  Review, in a clear demonstration of its commitment to the transparency and fulfilment of its WTO 
membership obligations.  
4.468.   We thank the WTO Secretariat specially the Trade Policy Division for its continuous work 
recognizing that due to challenges  derived because of COVID -19, efforts continue to be deployed in 
view to accelerating the work in this field. We equally thank the Government of India, as well as the 
WTO Secretariat for the reports which provided updated information on developments undert aken 
by India not only in policy reforms, but in broader macroeconomic and social fields. We thank and 
congratulate H.E. Ambassador Sunanta from Thailand, the discussant, for her valuable remarks.  
4.469.   From the report we could learn that the remarkable reforms carried out by the Government 
aimed at advancing not only its economic development and business environment, but also social 
sphere, as well as the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral ties.  
4.470.   This Trade Policy Review takes place at a time the world c ontinues to face the unprecedented 
health crisis due to COVID -19 that severely is hitting economies across the world, negatively 
affecting the world growth and the advancement to achievement of the SDGs. We applaud the 
leadership of India towards the stren gthening of the multilateral trading system and thank India for 
its solidarity ties within different frameworks, among which the South -South Cooperation.  
4.471.   We note with concern that despite tremendous effort, revised policies, reforms and strategies 
implemen ted, it has not been easy to achieve the projected growth due to challenges that, among 
others, include the COVID -19 pandemic disease facing the world.  
4.472.   The structural reforms undertaken by the Government towards ensuring inclusive growth as 
well as measure s adopted after the outbreak of COVID -19 are expected to enable the country to 
strong macroeconomic stability. We congratulate the Government for the positive improvements in 
the trading environment that led the country to a better position in the World Ba nk Doing Business 
as well as in the Global Innovation Index, just to mention a few.  
4.473.   We commend India’s developments not only related to trade, investment, intellectual 
property, medical and pharmaceutical sectors, but on infrastructure development, competi tiveness, 
housing, access to clean and affordable energy, healthcare, world class educational institutions, 
railways, logistics and warehousing, thus, economic and social spheres.  
4.474.   India and Mozambique enjoy warm and substantive ties with trading links tha t go back 
several Centuries, and pre -date the colonial era bilaterally, right before independence, India and 
Mozambique had enjoyed for long, remarkable good relationship. Since the independence in 1975, 
cooperation and diplomatic relations were built betw een Mozambique and India, having India been 
amongst the 1st countries to open a diplomatic mission in Maputo, while Mozambique had set up its 
Mission at New Delhi, India, in the year 2001.  
4.475.   Trade between India and Mozambique run smoothly and the export com modities from India 
comprise refined petroleum products and pharmaceuticals, and the exports from Mozambique to 
India comprise coal and cashew nuts. India and Mozambique have also signed several bilateral 
agreements and Memoranda of Cooperation for partner ing in different sectors like agriculture, rural 
development, scientific and technical research, protection of investments, avoidance of double 
taxation, small and medium enterprises, mineral resources, and others. Assistance has been 
provided through conc essional lines of credit (LOCs), implemented through the Export –Import Bank 
of India.  
4.476.   Funded projects have been being carried out by India along the years accounting for large 
amounts of US Dollars in Mozambique, in a support that has helped to improve po wer generation 
and distribution, provision of drinking water, improving production in agriculture, rehabilitation of 
irrigation infrastructure, building of an Information Technology Park, etc. The most significant form 
of support extended by India is in th e form of scholarships and training opportunities provided to 
Mozambican students in India.  
4.477.   Through grant assistance, India has helped to enhance the capacity of Mozambican 
institutions in areas like agriculture, small and medium enterprises, energy, road s, drinking water 
availability, solar energy and information technology, the project Tica -Buzi Highway, funded through WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  an Indian credit -line. Indian companies operate with a growing engagement including in areas like 
healthcare, education, and pharmaceutic als, tourism, making Mozambique be among the 
destinations for Indian outward investment in Africa, though recognizing that there is still room for 
increased cooperation.  
4.478.   Our expectation is to see increasingly, more fruitful outcomes from the reforms.  
4.479.   To conclude, we wish India a very successful Trade Policy Review.  
EGYPT  
4.480.   At the outset, Egypt would like to align itself with the statement delivered by Mauritius on 
behalf of the African Group.  
4.481.   We warmly welcome the Indian delegation, headed by Dr. Anup Wadhaw an, the Secretary 
of the Department of Commerce. We also would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, as well as the 
discussant, Her Excellency the Ambassador of Thailand, for the excellent work and insightful 
comments. And to express our appreciation to India a nd to the WTO Secretariat for the 
comprehensive reports.  
4.482.   We are pleased to note that the Indian economy has performed well despite the 
unprecedented challenging environment due to the pandemic. And it is estimated that the GDP 
growth rate will be around 4. 2% in 2019 -20. 
4.483.   We commend the Government of India for the structural reforms and the initiatives related 
to the economic and labour policies.  
4.484.   We also commend its efforts in the area of trade facilitation, especially after the ratification 
of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in April 2016. It is clear that the trade facilitative measures 
initiated by the Government of India have been instrumental in a drastic reduction of the time and 
cost of border and documentary compliances for exports and imports in the last few years, which 
resulted in a vast improvement in the country ranking of 68 on the trading across borders indicator 
in the World Bank Doing Business Report 2019 from 126 in 2015.  
4.485.   On the bilateral level, Egypt and India have traditionally enjoyed very strong cultural, 
political, and trade relations. India is an important trading partner for Egypt, and strengthening of 
trade and investment relations is an important pillar of our bilateral relations. The bilateral trade 
between both countries stood a t USD 4.5 billion in 2019. There is considerable potential to expand 
our trade ties in areas including textiles, automobiles, minerals, chemical fertilizers, 
pharmaceuticals, and agriculture sector.  
4.486.   Investments between both countries are also growing, with  several Indian companies 
operating in Egypt in areas including textiles, specialized chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer 
goods, health care, and auto components. Egyptian companies have also invested in India in areas 
including power, equipment and const ruction industry.  
4.487.   To conclude, the delegation of Egypt compliments India on its commitment to the multilateral 
trading system and its constructive engagement at the WTO. We look forward to working closely 
with India for further expanding our trade and inve stment relations for the mutual benefit of our 
peoples and we wish the delegation of India a productive and successful TPR  
EL SALVADOR  
4.488.   El Salvador se suma a los Miembros que nos han precedido, agradeciendo los esfuerzos de 
la India y a la delegación encabe zada por el Secretario Wadhawan y a todos los funcionarios indios 
que nos acompañan este día.  
4.489.   Asimismo, deseamos agradecer a la Embajadora Kangvalkulkij de Tailandia, por sus 
apreciaciones, comentarios y análisis muy pertinentes a este ejercicio, así como  a la Secretaría por 
el informe presentado.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.490.   Vemos con sumo interés el paquete de medidas para facilitar el comercio que la India 
implementó durante el periodo en examen. En particular, el uso de tecnologías de la información 
para el sistema de despacho pa ra las importaciones y exportaciones, así como el Portal Electrónico 
de Aduanas de la India y el Interfaz de Ventanilla Única para la Facilitación del Comercio. 
Consideramos que la experiencia en la implementación de estas medidas puede ser valioso para 
todos los Miembros.  
4.491.   De igual forma, notamos que la India notific ó los compromisos en materia de servicios e 
inversiones que ha asumido en el marco de sus acuerdos con la ASEAN y del Acuerdo Comercial 
Asia-Pacífico. Considerando que el sector de servicios re presenta cerca del 54% del PIB, creemos 
que estos nuevos compromisos en servicios e inversión serán una herramienta importante para el 
desarrollo de la India.  
4.492.   El comercio entre la India y las Américas es bastante robusto; cerca del 5,3% de las 
exportaciones e importaciones indias tienen como destino las Américas, excluyendo a los EE.UU. y 
el Brasil. Con respecto a nuestra relación bilateral, en los últimos años, El Salvador ha importado en 
promedio un poco más de USD 114 millones desde la India y ha exportado anualmente un poco 
menos de USD 5 millones. Entre las principales importaciones salvadoreñas provenientes de la India 
están los colorantes, vehículos, motocicletas, y medicamentos. Este comercio depende enteramente 
de las reglas negociadas e n esta casa.  
4.493.   Aplaudimos la flexibilidad mostrada por la India y el apoyo que recibió por parte de la 
Secretaría para poder cumplir con este ejercicio y con los trabajos ordinarios de la Organización.  
4.494.   En el plano multilateral, como lo refleja el informe de la Secretaría, la India ha intervenido 
activamente en la labor ordinaria de los Comités de la OMC, las negociaciones, la solución de 
diferencias, el ejercicio de vigilancia y las iniciativas plurilaterales.  
4.495.   Finalmente quisiera desearle a la India éxitos en este Examen.  
SOUTH  AFRICA  
4.496.   Let me start by thanking the Secretary of Commerce of India for the preparation for this 
Review and also thank Ambassador Navnit and their teams and commend them for the work 
undertaken. We also thank  H.E. Ambassador Ms.  Sunanta Kangvalkulkij , the Ambassador of 
Thailand, for her contribution as the discussant.  
4.497.   We associate ourselves with the African Group statement that has been read by Mauritius.  
4.498.   As a founding Member of the WTO, India has demonstrated its commitment to the WTO. Its 
contribution aimed at strengthening the WTO to ensure a fair and equitable multilateral trading 
system has been notable. Most importantly, India consistently pursues a development -oriented 
agenda that emphasizes core issues of interest, not on ly to developing countries but ensures that 
trade delivers for all. This includes the food security agenda through a permanent solution on PSH 
in agriculture and broadly the need for the WTO to deliver on agriculture reform as entailed in 
Article  20 of the  Agreement on Agriculture. It also covers the TRIPS and public health especially in 
the context of the pandemic though the proposal on the TRIPS Waiver and a commitment to the 
WTO reform agenda that promotes development and includes TBT.  
4.499.   India and South Af rica enjoy strong and growing bilateral trade and investment relations. 
India is South Africa’s fourth largest trading partner in 2019 with total trade which stood at 
USD 8.4 billion. Trade is relatively balanced although more effort is required to improve  the 
composition and structure of trade as the biggest proportion of South Africa’s exports remain primary 
products. India is an important market for South Africa, and we are looking forward to working with 
India to increase our exports of manufactured pro ducts.  
4.500.   We note from the report of the Secretariat that during the period under review, a number of 
reforms were implemented by India including the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) 
to harmonize the indirect tax system which has been a conce rn for our traders. The complexity of 
the tariff schedule also remains an issue of concern for our traders. We, however, welcome the 
enactment of legislation to improve marketing of agriculture products and to reduce their regulation. WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  Importantly, we note that the trade policy remains broadly unchanged thus promoting predictability 
in trade.  
4.501.   The COVID -19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on many economies, it is laudable 
that India is expecting to experience positive growth albeit smaller than origina lly projected. This 
points the need for the WTO to have a comprehensive and growth -oriented response to COVID -19 
that takes into account the unprecedented impact of the crisis.  
4.502.   In view of rising inequality both within and between countries, we find the eco nomic inclusion 
policies which are enacted to ensure less rural distress, promote food security and support farmers 
a notable development. In light of the impact of COVID -19 and food security, it is important to reflect 
on a WTO food security -oriented agen da as part of the agriculture reform. Sharing experiences on 
national policies is something worth considering as it may result in an enriching debate on 
mechanisms that promote inclusive growth and development which should be the focus of the WTO 
given the  differences in levels of development and diversity of its Membership.  
4.503.   We also note that the share of the manufacturing sector in India’s GDP decreased from 
16.3% in 2014/15 to 15.1% in 2018/19. India has run a deficit in its balance of trade in 
manufactur ed goods during the review period with growth in imports outstripping that of exports. 
This emphasizes the need for a focused strategy aimed at increasing the share of manufacturing.  
4.504.   The decline in imports from Africa from 8.7% in 2014/15 to 8% in 2018/19 is a cause for 
concern. We hope that as India implements the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP), it will consider 
building strategic and mutual beneficial value chains with African countries that contribute to 
sustainable growth and development and that e ncourage both parties move up the value -chain. This 
is especially important given that trading under the AfCFTA started from 1 January 2021. As such, 
tariffs on various commodities with agreed rules of origin would be drastically reduced or removed 
giving access to a larger market of over 1 billion people. Non -tariff barriers would also be addressed 
with a specific mechanism established for traders to report non -tariff barriers. The implementation 
of the … is therefore a presented opportunity to unlock grow th for both parties.  
4.505.   With relation to investment, we note the role of tariffs in sustaining the attraction of FDI in 
the auto sector which, as the Secretariat report states, is in part due to the large domestic market 
and relatively high tariffs. This high lights the importance of a strategic trade policy that selectively 
uses tariffs as an important policy tool to attract investment in key sectors of the economy.  
4.506.   Finally, we wish India a successful Trade Policy Review and welcome India’s commitment 
and cont ribution to a rules -based multilateral trading system and to Africa’s development through 
the India -Africa Forum. We also thank the Secretariat for its report.  
NEPAL  
4.507.   First, my delegation would like to welcome the delegation of India led by Commerce 
Secreta ry, H.E. Dr. Anup Wadhawan, and appreciate his comprehensive opening remarks.  
4.508.   We appreciate India’s continuous commitment and contribution to rules -based, just and 
predictable multilateral trading system. Hosting two informal mini -ministerial meetings by I ndia to 
build consensus in the multilateral trading system reflects it.  
4.509.   My delegation thanks H.E. Ms Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, Ambassador of Thailand to the WTO, 
for her insightful remarks as discussant.  
4.510.   Let me congratulate the Government of India for its com prehensive report and commend 
the Secretariat for the detailed report of the trade policy review of India.  
4.511.   While going through the reports, it is evident that India has taken remarkable forward steps 
to improve its trade and economic policies over the past  few years in a more inclusive and sustainable 
manner.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.512.   Maintaining strong foundation of the economy, structural reforms for inclusive growth, 
macroeconomic stability, and increased FDI inflows, among others, have contributed to achieve the 
national target  of socio -economic development of the country.  
4.513.   Significant improvements in the trading environment have resulted in its remarkable 
progress in Doing Business ranking from 142 in 2015 to 63 in 2019. Improvements in innovation, 
logistics performance, invest ment facilitation, infrastructure development, and inclusive financial 
services have become important contributors to driving India’s economic growth.  
4.514.   These milestones point towards attaining the target of the Indian economy to reach to 
USD 5 trillion by 2024-25.  
4.515.   Nepal takes a pleasure to mention India’s significant progress in diversifying its goods trade 
market and increasing its share in world’s commercial services exports.  
4.516.   Nepal commends the Government of India for effectively managing the COVID -19 pandemic 
and progress made in the production of COVID vaccines.  
4.517.   Nepal highly appreciates India’s continued support to LDCs’ agenda at the WTO system and 
its initiatives to extend various supports especially preferential treatments in both goods and services 
trade in favour of the LDCs and capacity buildings.   
4.518.   Nepal an d India are the closest neighbours since the time immemorial. The relationship 
between the two countries is based on mutual trust and understanding, warmth of friendship and 
strong cooperative foundation. Our bilateral relations are bound by history, geogr aphy, economic 
cooperation, socio -cultural bond, and people -to-people contacts. With the passage of time, our ties 
have been advancing with increased interactions and close cooperation.  
4.519.   A number of mechanisms exist for strengthening bilateral cooperation c overing multifaceted 
areas including trade and economic cooperation, connectivity and water resources.  
4.520.   My delegation would like to acknowledge India’s significant support to Nepal mainly in 
infrastructure development including cross -border and trade logist ics infrastructure, information and 
communication technology, and capacity building, together with some vital social sectors such as 
health, education, and human resource development.  
4.521.   Nepal values India’s support to upgrading and advancing trade infrastru cture at border 
points, enhancing connectivity through linking trading points by roads, railways and waterways, and 
easing the transit process.  
4.522.   Nepal’s partnership with India in the areas of trade and transit is a matter of utmost 
importance to Nepal.  
4.523.   Both public and private sectors of India have invested in Nepal and India is one of the biggest 
sources of investment in Nepal.  
4.524.   I take the opportunity to express Nepal’s gratitude to the Government of India for 
uninterrupted supplies of goods and keeping tra nsit points operational during the period of pandemic 
and lockdown.  
4.525.   Transit facilities provided by India have played a crucial role in enhancing trade of a 
landlocked country like Nepal.   
4.526.   Trade statistics reveals phenomenal increase in the volume of bilat eral trade over the years. 
India is the largest trading partner of Nepal – both in terms of import and export of goods trade 
covering about 62% of Nepal’s total trade in the fiscal year 2019/20.  
4.527.   Nepal is the second largest trading partner of India in South  Asia and one of the top 10 
export destinations of Indian goods in the world market.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.528.   Nepal imported various goods from India worth of about 735 billion Nepali rupees while 
exported to India worth of only about 70 billion Nepali rupees in the same fiscal ye ar, translating to 
a trade deficit of about 665 billion Nepali rupees which accounts for 60.5% of Nepal’s total trade 
deficit.   
4.529.   Nepal’s escalating trade deficit with India underlines the need for enriched collaboration and 
partnership between both the cou ntries in the areas of trade and investment for our mutual benefit.  
4.530.   My delegation fondly recalls the recent meeting of the Inter -Governmental Committee of 
Commerce Secretaries where both sides have discussed a wide range of agenda of mutual interest 
in trade, transit, investment, and greater economic integration. The positive outcomes of this 
meeting to update the existing mechanism of bilateral relation in trade and transit, and up -gradation 
of border and trade logistic infrastructure assumes great import ance in making further progress in 
these areas for mutual benefit.   
4.531.   Besides the bilateral cooperation, both the countries have been deeply engaged in the 
regional and sub -regional frameworks of SAARC, BIMSTEC and BBIN for enhancing cooperation for 
greater  economic integration by harnessing collectively the potentials and complementarities 
available in the region.  
4.532.   My delegation wishes for a successful Trade Policy Review of India.  
TCHAD  AU NOM  DU GROUPE  DES  PMA 
4.533.   Au nom du Groupe des PMA, la République du Tch ad souhaite féliciter vivement la délégation 
de l’Inde pour la tenue de son 7ème Examen des politiques commerciales à l’OMC. Nous félicitons 
également S.E. Mme. Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, Ambassadeur de la Thaïlande, pour son excellent 
travail réalisé en tant que présentateur, ainsi que le Secrétariat de l’OMC pour l’établissement de 
son rapport.  
4.534.   L’Inde est un acteur majeur du commerce mondial et un fervent défenseur d’un système 
multilatéral robuste, basé sur des règles, juste, transparent et inclusif. Comme l e reste du monde 
et des Membres de l’OMC, l’Inde traverse aujourd’hui une situation économique difficile du fait des 
effets de la pandémie de COVID -19 et des restrictions sur les activités et les déplacements qui nous 
touchent.  
4.535.   Toutefois, en remontant la période d’examen sur les cinq dernières années, depuis 2015, les 
chiffres montrent une économie indienne solide, en croissance, et en amélioration progressive de 
ses fondamentaux. Cela se perçoit notamment à travers l’augmentatio n recensée des exportations, 
des importations, du niveau de flux d’investissements entrants, ainsi qu’à travers l’amélioration 
significative du climat des affaires et de la facilité d’entreprendre, la facilitation des investissements 
selon son classement D oing Business de la Banque mondiale, classant l’Inde de la 142e position à 
la 63e position en 2020.  
4.536.   Ainsi, les fondamentaux de l’économie indienne demeurent solides face à la crise actuelle 
avec, en outre, un faible niveau d’endettement, une inflation maît risée, et des réformes structurelles 
engagées pour améliorer l’efficacité du secteur privé et augmenter les recettes perçues.  
4.537.   S’agissant des relations de commerce avec les PMA, notre Groupe à l’OMC se félicite des 
initiatives prises par l’Inde, en particul ier depuis la Conférence ministérielle de Hong Kong en 2005, 
pour développer les échanges commerciaux et l’accès au marché.  
4.538.   Les préférences accordées par l’Inde aux PMA touchent aussi bien l’accès au marché en 
franchise de droits et sans contingent, un acc ès facilité pour les fournisseurs de services issus de 
PMA, de même que la mise en place de règles d’origine préférentielles répondant à la décision de 
Nairobi en 2015.  
4.539.   Ce sont des éléments de traitement spécial et différencié fondamentaux pour notre Grou pe, 
en reconnaissance des contraintes et des difficultés particulières auxquelles nous faisons face pour 
mieux nous intégrer au commerce mondial.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.540.   Nous espérons que les acquis pourront se consolider dans le futur. Le Groupe des PMA 
apprécie vivement les sou tiens que l’Inde est en mesure d’apporter aux PMA dans le cadre des 
négociations en cours à l’OMC et dans le cadre travaux des organes ordinaires.  
4.541.   Tout comme l’Inde, le groupe des PMA souhaite l’existence d’un système commercial 
multilatéral solide, basé sur des règles, juste, transparent et inclusif. Nous aspirons également à 
une croissance et à un développement durable bénéficiant à nos populations.  
4.542.   Enfin, nous escomptons un approfondissement fructueux de nos relations de commerce avec 
l’Inde.  
4.543.   Le Groupe des PMA saisi cette occasion pour renouveler ses félicitations à l’Inde pour ses 
initiatives et ses réformes engagées. Nous lui souhaitons un plein succès dans l’avenir et dans le 
cadre de cet Examen des politiques commerciales  
TAJIKISTAN  
4.544.   I hope tha t you are all staying safe and healthy together with your families while going 
through these difficult times.  
4.545.   Tajikistan is pleased to participate in the seventh Trade Policy Review of India and would 
like to extend warm greetings to the entire delegation of India led by Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, 
Department of Commerce.  
4.546.   Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in August 1992. The 
bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and India has been dynamically developing thanks to 
intense efforts of both parties. The legal framework on bilateral relations between the two States 
includes more than 70 intergovernmental and sectorial agreements and MOUs.  
4.547.   Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation 
between the two countries serves as a key mechanism for the development of bilateral economic 
cooperation. In 2019, the trade turnover between the two countries reached USD 24 million 262 
thousand. As the expansion of trade cooperation is in the interests of b oth states it is important to 
make use of available opportunities for the development of trade relations between Tajikistan and 
India.  
4.548.   We appreciate the efforts of the Government of India and the Secretariat in producing the 
reports, and the discussant fo r her insights. The reports provide comprehensive details on the 
developments in India’s economic and trade policy since its last review.  
4.549.   This seventh Trade Policy Review of India provides a great opportunity to improve our 
understanding of its trade and i nvestment regime. The Republic of Tajikistan commends India for 
significant achievements made since last TPR. India's economic growth continued to be strong for 
most of the period under review, averaging 7.4% until 2018/19.  
4.550.   We welcome the efforts of India,  particularly to advance WTO reform discussions and its 
active engagement in a number of plurilateral and multilateral initiatives at the WTO.  
4.551.   India as an original Member of the WTO, it ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) 
on 22 April 2016. It is a party to the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA), but not the 
expanded ITA. India is an observer to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). 
During the review period, India made a number of notifications to the WTO.  
4.552.   In conclusion, the  Republic of Tajikistan highly appreciates the hard work and strong 
commitment of India and wishes a very successful and productive Trade Policy Review.  
KIRGYZ  REPUBLIC  
4.553.   The Kyrgyz Republic welcomes the delegation of the India lead by Dr. Anup Wadhawan 
(Secretary of Department of Commerce).  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.554.   We thank the WTO Secretariat and the Government of India for preparing such 
comprehensive and detailed Trade Policy Review reports. We would also like to thank the discussant, 
H.E. Ms. Sunanta Kangvalkulkij (Thailand) for  her insightful comments.  
4.555.   Since the beginning of its Membership to the WTO, India has demonstrated highest 
dedication to the WTO rules and, as it has been said at the last TPR of 2015, has convincingly shown 
its commitment to trade liberalization under th e multilateral trading system centered on the WTO 
continuously.  
4.556.   Among many other successful steps on the WTO platform are the early acceptance of Trade 
Facilitation Agreement and Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreement.  
4.557.   Bilateral trade and economic cooperat ion between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of 
India is developing steadily and systematically. The Kyrgyz Republic and India closely cooperate 
bilaterally, as well as multilaterally within other Organizations and initiatives such as UN, Shanghai 
Cooperation Organization and WTO. Nowadays, the Eurasian Economic Union and India are having 
an active dialogue regarding possibilities of further cooperation.  
4.558.   On the bilateral basis, our countries established an Intergovernmental Council on 
trade -economic and  scientific -technical cooperation. To date, nine meetings of the Kyrgyz -Indian 
Council have been held.  
4.559.   As result of the ninth meeting of the Council in 2018, our countries agreed to take the 
necessary measures to increase interaction between exporters and  importers. The agreement to 
increase the supply of agricultural products to the markets of the two countries was achieved.  
4.560.   Besides the activity of the Council, the relations evolve by organization of events aimed for 
expansion of cooperation with partici pation of officials on the highest levels.  
4.561.   In January 2019, business forum organized by commerce chambers of our countries was 
held in India. During the forum, the Indian entrepreneurs were informed about the work being done 
by the Kyrgyz Republic to esta blish favorable conditions for investment activities, as well as for 
developing bilateral economic ties with India. The Minister of the foreign affairs of the Kyrgyz 
Republic separately met with representatives of the Indian business community interested i n 
implementing business projects in the field of light industry, medicine, tourism, IT technologies, 
agriculture, and educational programs. In turn, the Indian business demonstrated interest in doing 
business in the Kyrgyz Republic.  
4.562.   Among the last and the biggest remarkable events in bilateral relations, the business forum 
was held in June 2019 with the participation of the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, 
and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. During the forum it was noted that countries do not fully 
use the existing potential in trade. The Kyrgyz Republic expressed interest in increasing export of 
bio-production and providing the necessary conditions to Indian business. We hope that efforts on 
strengthening the trade and agreements achiev ed between the parties will give impetus to develop 
joint projects in various sectors of our countries such as tourism, healthcare, energy, information 
technology, and agriculture.  
4.563.   Our countries have established beneficial mutual trade. The dynamics of tra de from 2016 to 
2019 demonstrates positive trend.  
4.564.   Kyrgyzstan's imports from India increased by 85% for the period 2016 to 2019.  
4.565.   The main share of imports from India is represented by products of the chemical industry: 
pharmaceutical products, perfumes and  cosmetics. Also, mechanical engineering products; light 
industry products: textiles and shoes; food products: tea, coffee, spices, rice are widely distributed 
in the Kyrgyz market.  
4.566.   Kyrgyzstan's exports to India increased by 30% for the period 2016 to 2019 .  
4.567.   Exports from Kyrgyzstan to India today consist of dried fruits, bean, honey, medical herbals, 
meat and fish products, tanned leather, including defence industry products.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.568.   In terms of services, it is worth to note that tourism, education and IT services have the 
potential to increase share of trade in services.  
4.569.   The Kyrgyz Republic is interested on further fruitful economic cooperation and deepening 
trade -economic relations with India.  
4.570.   The Kyrgyz Republic wishes a successful seventh Trade Policy Review to India.  
REPÚBLICA  BOLIVARIANA  DE VENEZUELA  
4.571.   La delegación de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela saluda muy cordialmente la presencia 
del Secretario del Departamento de Comercio, Dr. Anup Wadhawan y de toda la comitiva que le 
acompaña.  
4.572.   Queremos a gradecer a la ponente, Embajadora de Tailandia ante la OMC, Sra. Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij, por el análisis presentado que nos coloca en contexto y también a la Secretaría por 
su destacada labor.  
4.573.   Iniciamos nuestra intervención destacando los lazos de amistad y de cooperación comercial 
estratégica con la India, desde el 1° de octubre de 1959, caracterizados por la cordialidad, la 
complementariedad y el respeto a la autodeterminación de los pueblos; compartiendo visiones 
comunes orientadas al desarrollo y hacia la contracción de un mundo multicéntrico y pluripolar.  
4.574.   En ese contexto, recordamos la visita del Presidente Hugo Chávez a la India en el mes de 
marzo de 2005, un acercamiento Sur -Sur entre ambos pueblos y Gobiernos, en la cual se 
suscribieron importantes a cuerdos energéticos y de hidrocarburos, así como en el área de la salud, 
agricultura, transporte aéreo y en el ámbito cultural estableciéndose para ello una Comisión Mixta.  
4.575.   Sobre el informe presentado por la India para este Examen de política comercial, re saltamos 
los índices presentados por ese país en momentos en que el mundo está presenciando una crisis 
sanitaria sin precedentes ocasionada por el COVID -19. Observamos de manera positiva que las 
variables fundamentales de la economía india continúen siendo  sólidas, lo cual ha permitido 
mantener la estabilidad macroeconómica de ese país.  
4.576.   Asimismo, consideramos positivo los progresos de la India para aumentar la capacidad de 
producción de medicamentos esenciales y otros materiales con el fin de apoyar los si stemas de 
atención sanitaria de todo el mundo. Esperamos que ese ejemplo siga multiplicándose en todos los 
rincones del planeta.  
4.577.   En nuestro caso particular, desde el 2019 varias empresas farmacéuticas de la India 
obtuvieron los permisos correspondientes p ara operar en Venezuela. Está relación comercial con 
privados se mantiene con éxito y han sido fundamentales para enfrentar el feroz bloqueo que el 
gobierno de los Estados Unidos ha impuesto de manera unilateral a Venezuela.  
4.578.   Es dable destacar que, en el as pecto comercial, India y Venezuela han establecido relaciones 
para la exploración y producción de petróleo en nuestro país. Recientemente, el Ministro de Petróleo 
de India, Dharmendra Pradhan, ha declarado que su país busca diversificar sus importaciones d e 
crudo, incluida la reanudación de las compras a Venezuela.  
4.579.   Son muchos los artículos de importación de la India desde Venezuela, entre los que se 
destacan los combustibles y aceites minerales y productos de su destilación, sustancias bituminosas, 
ceras mi nerales, hierro y acero, aluminio, vegetales comestibles y ciertas raíces y tubérculos, cobre 
y sus manufacturas, plomo y sus manufacturas.  
4.580.   Asimismo, entre los principales artículos de exportación de la India a Venezuela se resaltan 
los aceites minerales y  productos de su destilación, sustancias bituminosas, productos 
farmacéuticos, algodón, reactores nucleares, calderas, maquinaria y aparatos mecánicos, 
maquinaria y equipos eléctricos, grabadores y reproductores de sonido y televisión, artículos de 
indumen taria y accesorios de vestir y productos químicos diversos.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.581.   Otro aspecto de importancia que resalta es la cooperación prestada a Venezuela a través de 
la Alianza Solar Internacional (ISA) de la India, para promover entre las naciones del mundo el uso 
de la energía solar y combatir el cambio climático.  
4.582.   En el marco del proceso de reforma de la OMC, Venezuela comparte con la India la visión de 
desarrollo que debe privar en esta Organización. En tal sentido, destacamos el copatrocinio conjunto 
del documento int itulado “Declaración sobre el Trato Especial y Diferenciado para Promover el 
Desarrollo” (WT/GC//202/Rev.1), en el cual compartimos la defensa y reconocimiento del principio 
del trato especial y diferenciado en la OMC. Otro elemento esencial es la preserva ción del principio 
de toma decisiones basada en el consenso.  
4.583.   Asimismo, nuestras delegaciones comparten su preocupación por el bloqueo al proceso de 
selección en el Órgano de Apelación, que afectaría uno de los pilares centrales de esta Organización 
que es el de solución de diferencia, así como por la propuesta de transparencia presentada por los 
Estados Unidos en conjunto con otras delegaciones, que busca aplicar medidas punitivas y cargas 
adicionales a los países que más dificultades tienen para cumplir co n sus compromisos de 
notificación.  
4.584.   En el proceso de las actuales negociaciones comerciales multilaterales, compartimos 
posiciones similares en materia de agricultura, entre ellas las existencias públicas con fines de 
seguridad alimentaria, así como la defensa de un trato especial y diferenciado en las negociaciones 
sobre subvenciones a la pesca, que incluya la pesca artesanal y de subsistencia.  
4.585.   En el contexto del COVID -19, nuestros países copatrocinan el documento "Propuesta de 
exención de determinadas disposiciones del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC para la prevención, contención 
y tratamiento de la COVID -19" (documento IP/C/W/669), la cual pide una exención para todos los 
miembros de la OMC de determinadas disposiciones del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC en relación  con la 
"prevención, contención o tratamiento" de COVID -19.  
4.586.   Sobre las medidas comerciales aplicadas unilateralmente por los Estados Unidos, tanto para 
Venezuela como a la India les preocupan las medidas aplicadas a las importaciones de hierro y 
aluminio, amparados bajo la Sección 232 de la Ley de Expansión Comercial de 1962. Dichas medidas 
son justificadas por los Estados Unidos en virtud de un supuesto daño causado a la producción de 
aluminio, sin embargo, debido a las cantidades y condiciones de las impo rtaciones, debió ser aplicada 
en base al Acuerdo de Salvaguardias.  
4.587.   Es dable destacar la cooperación que nos ha prestado la India en asuntos de la OMC, 
especialmente el programa de formación en suelo hindú de expertos venezolanos bajo el programa 
ITEC, ent re los cuales se han beneficiado funcionarios diplomáticos de nuestra Misión Permanente 
en Ginebra.  
4.588.   No quisiera concluir sin antes destacar la excelente labor del Embajador de la India ante la 
OMC, quien a pesar de su reciente llegada ha desarrollado un i mportante liderazgo en la 
Organización. Igualmente, nuestro reconocimiento a todo el equipo a su cargo.  
4.589.   Al desearle a la India un exitoso Examen de política comercial, queremos finalizar nuestra 
intervención reafirmando los lazos de amistad, cooperación, c omplementariedad y respeto a la 
autodeterminación de los pueblos entre nuestros países, así como el compromiso compartido con la 
conformación de un sistema de comercio multilateral, robusto, solidario, justo y predecible, basado 
en normas comunes y transpa rentes, que pueda traducirse en la pronta resolución de los temas que 
preocupan a la mayoría de los Miembros de esta Organización, en beneficio de los pueblos del Mundo.  
KINGDOM  OF SAUDI  ARABIA  
4.590.   The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very pleased to take part in th e seventh Trade Policy Review 
of India and would like to extend a very warm welcome to the delegation of India, headed by H.E. 
Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, Department of Commerce.  
4.591.   The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wishes to thank the WTO Secretariat and India’s  government 
for their detailed and comprehensive Reports and also thanks the Discussant, H.E. Ms Sunanta 
Kangvalkulkij from Thailand for her insightful comments.    WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.592.   The trade policy review reports of the Secretariat and the government of India highlight th e 
continuous progress of the Indian economy in the recent years in terms of GDP growth and trade 
expansion. Progress has been sustained even in the face of the world economic crisis, India's 
economic growth continued to be strong for most of the period und er review, averaging 7.4% until 
2018/19.  
4.593.   Nevertheless, despite this impressive economic growth, India like the rest of the world 
economies has been facing the challenges caused by the COVID -19 pandemic. These challenges are 
being addressed through Fiscal and monetary policies along with short - and longer -term measures 
targeting certain sectors of the economy.  
4.594.   Open trade is clearly vital for India as it continues its development and growth. India is to 
be commended for its reforms in taxes, banking, agriculture, IPR, tourism, and enhancing digital  
capacities. We also praise India for its initiatives such as "make in India", "digital India" and "startup 
India"; promoting the diversification of India's exports; creating an architecture for India's 
engagement with key regions of the world and encourag ing a larger flow of efficiency -seeking FDI.  
4.595.   However, as the Secretariat Report pointed out, the high level of trade remedy usage 
particularly anti -dumping measures. India initiated 233 investigations, a sharp increase since 2011 -
14 (June). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia encourages India to redouble its commitment to adhere to 
the basic anti -dumping rules and methodologies that limit the application of anti -dumping measures 
to protection against unfair trade, so as not to distort the competitive opportunities that should 
benefit all participants in our international trading system.  
4.596.   The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India are prominent trading partners; their trade relations 
go back several centuries in time. Today, the bilateral business ties are being steadily expanded and 
further strengthened by continuous interaction and cooperation. During 2019 -2020, Saudi Arabia is 
the 4th largest trading partner for India and a major source of energy as India imports around 18% 
of its crude oil requirement and 30 % of its L PG requirement from the Kingdom. The bilateral trade 
between the two countries is valued at US $33.09 billion.  
4.597.   The State visit of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to India in February 2019 has marked 
a new era in the bilateral relations, which culminated i n the setting up of the Strategic Partnership 
Council, co -chaired by the two leaders. Besides that, the two sides signed 11 other Memorandum of 
Understandings in the fields of energy, security, defence production, civil aviation, medical products, 
strategi c petroleum reserves, small and medium scale industries.  
4.598.   As an original member of the WTO, India is an active member of this organization and an 
active supporter of the multilateral trading system. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia looks forward to 
continuing t o work with India and the rest of the membership to supporting and strengthening the 
WTO.  
4.599.   To conclude, we commend Mr. Brajendra Navnit, Ambassador and Permanent 
Representative and his delegation for the positive and active role in this house and wish the entire 
delegation of India a very successful Trade Policy Review.  
HONDURAS  
4.600.   Inicialmente deseamos manifestar nuestros mejores deseos para este nuevo año a todos 
ustedes y a sus familias.  
4.601.   Asimismo, saludamos y felicitamos a las autoridades de India, en ocasi ón de la celebración 
de su séptimo Examen de Política Comercial, así como nuestro agradecimiento al Ponente y a la 
Secretaría del OMC, por la calidad del Informe.  
4.602.   Nos complace observar que de los informes se desprende que el fuerte crecimiento 
económico du rante el periodo evaluado ha dado lugar a una mejora constante de los indicadores 
socioeconómicos de la India, donde el incremento del ingreso per cápita ha ido acompañado de un 
aumento de la esperanza de vida, la cual ha pasado de 63 años en el año 2000 a  69 años en 2017, 
y de una disminución de la tasa de mortalidad a 37 por cada 1.000 nacidos vivos.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  4.603.   Asimismo, notamos que, en 2016, la India estableció su primera Política Nacional de 
Derechos de Propiedad Intelectual para apoyar la creación de una economía  impulsada por el 
conocimiento, a fin de promover el desarrollo económico y social y fue el primer miembro de la OMPI 
en ratificar el Tratado de Marrakech por el que se establece la obligación imperativa de que las obras 
amparadas por el derecho de autor s ean accesibles a las personas con discapacidad visual.  
4.604.   Por otro lado, destacamos la introducción en 2015 del Programa de Exportaciones de la India 
y sus dos subprogramas relacionados con las Mercancías y con los Servicios.  
4.605.   Nuestros países comparten el comp romiso con el progreso del sistema multilateral de 
comercio auspiciado por la OMC, basado en normas y bajo los principios de apertura, transparencia, 
no discriminación, inclusión y debido proceso entre otros.  
4.606.   En ese orden de ideas y a fin de fortalecer nue stras relaciones se firmó un acuerdo suscrito 
entre el Gobierno de Honduras y el Export Import Bank of India, el cual otorgo un crédito por un 
monto de 22.5 millones de dólares para la ejecución del proyecto de desarrollo agrícola del Valle de 
Jamastrán.  
4.607.   Con este proyecto, se beneficiará a 900 productores, generando 11 mil empleos directos 
entre los propietarios de los terrenos que serán irrigados y los que gozarán de un empleo y a través 
de esta iniciativa se incorporarán 3,757 hectáreas para cultivos de e xportación, adicionales a granos 
básicos como vegetales orientales, hortalizas, chile, tomate y cebolla, entre otros, los cuales son 
cultivos rentables y de esa forma contribuir a la seguridad alimentaria nutricional en el país.  
4.608.   Por otro lado, como parte d e la oferta de la India para establecer centros de formación en 
temas relacionados con la Tecnología de la Información en países del SICA, un centro sobre la 
materia se ha constituido en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras en el cual se han 
formad o más de 20.000 estudiantes.  
4.609.   Finalmente, deseamos reconocer el liderazgo desempeñado por India, en las distintas 
iniciativas presentadas en este foro y les felicitamos por sus importantes logros y esfuerzos durante 
el período objeto de examen y les deseamo s el mayor de los éxitos.  
  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIA AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS  
Introduction  
5.1.  I wish to begin by thanking all the distinguished Members for having actively participated in 
India’s 7th Trade Policy Review. Let me also convey our sincere thanks to the Permanent 
Representative of Thailand, H.E. (Ms.) Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, for her commendable 
role as the Discussant by offering an insightful analysis of India's trade and economic policy regime, 
that provided an excellent b ackdrop for constructive deliberations during this review. I would also 
like to convey our gratitude to the Chairman, TPRB, Ambassador (Mr.) Harald Aspelund for 
conducting the proceedings smoothly and efficiently and to the WTO Secretariat for their suppor t. 
5.2.  Chair, we are extremely pleased with the interest shown by the Members in our TPR. More than 
50 delegations taking the floor on Day 1 and submission of about 1050 written questions, bears 
testimony to the importance Members place on India’s role in and con tribution to world trade, as 
well as to the multilateral trading system.  
5.3.  My delegation and I have paid careful attention to all interventions by the Members, and have 
taken note of the appreciation accorded to our reform efforts, as well as the concerns e xpressed. I 
wish to highlight that reform is a continuous and ongoing process, and the Government is deeply 
committed to pursuing this path to make India an attractive trade and investment partner for the 
world. We appreciate the positive assessment of Ind ia's reforms by several Members. I also wish to 
assure everyone that we will strive to forge greater economic and trade linkages with the world, by 
utilizing all avenues available to us – whether multilateral, regional or bilateral.  
Remarks on the Members'  interventions  
5.4.  Most of the concerns raised by member countries have already been responded to through 
written answers. I trust the Members have had the time to go through our replies. Accordingly, in 
my response today, I will limit myself to broadly addres sing these concerns, issue -wise.  
5.5.  Beginning with Agriculture, we thank the Members who have commended India’s reforms in 
the agriculture sector. On the concern raised with regard to domestic support to the agriculture 
sector, I would like to mention that t he support given is largely to the small and marginal farmers, 
and is in accordance with India’s commitments at the WTO. Such support is necessary in view of 
food and livelihood security issues related to the large population dependant on agriculture. I ma y 
state here that India’s per farmer support is significantly lower than the support provided by most 
developed Members. With low market surplus, subsistence farming, low per farmer support and the 
pre-dominance of resource -poor farmers, India’s input subs idies are minimally trade -distorting and 
consistent with Article 6.2 of the Agreement on Agriculture.  
5.6.  Chair, as I mentioned in my opening statement, while emphasizing India’s advocacy of a short -
term package to mitigate the immediate fallout of COVID -19, the ongoing pandemic has again 
brought to the fore, the importance of food and livelihood security, which was reflected in the 
interventions made by a number of Members. Finding a permanent solution for public stockholding 
(PSH) for food security has, ther efore, assumed a far greater importance and priority.  
5.7.  India, like several other WTO Members, has been undertaking regular tariff liberalization and 
our applied tariffs are well within our WTO commitments. As highlighted by me during the first 
session, Indi a’s average bound MFN rate for all products is about 50 per cent, while the applied rates 
are much lower. I wish to assure the Membership that extensive deliberations and well laid out policy 
modalities and contours ensure that India’s tariff changes are t ransparent and rational, and thereby 
provide a stable policy environment.  
5.8.  Some Members have commented on the import licensing regime in India. Let me underline 
that India's import licensing regime is open and transparent. Licenses are granted on a non -
discriminatory basis. The relevant regulations are available in the public domain. Further, import 
licensing affects only a few restricted items, primarily on grounds like protecting human, animal and 
plant life, and the environment.  WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  5.9.  We have also noted observ ations regarding the number of instances of Anti -Dumping Measures 
during the review period. I would like to reiterate that these investigations are conducted in a 
transparent manner and in accordance with the provisions of the WTO Anti -dumping Agreement. 
Reasonable and adequate opportunity is provided to interested parties at every stage of the 
investigation. Further, the measures, as imposed, impinge on a miniscule proportion of our total 
imports. Safeguard Measures used by India are also in accordance wit h the provisions of the 
Safeguards Agreement, and follow a rigorous process, which is objective and transparent.  
5.10.   Some Members expressed concerns about our TBT and SPS measures. I would like to reiterate 
that India fully adheres to the transparency provisio ns in the adoption and implementation of these 
measures and remains committed to being in conformity with its obligations at the WTO in this 
regard. I wish to underline that most of India’s technical regulations rely on international standards 
and are impl emented in close consultation with all stakeholders. Further, none of these measures 
are discriminatory or create any unwarranted obligations that could be termed as trade barriers. 
They are also equally applicable to both domestic and foreign manufacturer s. 
5.11.   Chair, it was highlighted in the opening statement that the GST has been one of the most 
significant structural reforms in the field of taxation, since our independence. I am happy to note 
that Members have expressed their satisfaction over introduction  of this path -breaking reform during 
the Review period. A large number of Members also appreciated India’s trade facilitation efforts, 
including ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and various steps taken for its effective 
implementation. We h ave noted Members’ interest in an early implementation of the remaining 
Category B Commitments, and assure the membership that we are already working in that direction. 
We are also working on streamlining and simplifying the overall business environment fu rther, with 
an aim to break into the top 50 in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report.  
5.12.   We appreciate the Members who welcomed and commended India’s National Intellectual 
Property Rights Policy, 2016. Needless to say, the policy recognises the role of creat ivity and 
innovation in the development of India as a knowledge economy. We also thank Members for 
recognising and appreciating India's liberalised Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy, which now 
allows 100% shareholding on the automatic approval route, for most sectors. We noted the concern 
over some recent amendments, which I wish to clarify, involve only a realignment from automatic 
to the approval route.  
5.13.   I would like to thank Members for commending the prowess of our IT and IT enabled services 
sector and the significant strides made by our digital ecosystem in the last few years. I also 
acknowledge the views of Members on evolving the policy environment for growth of the digital 
economy. Here, I would like to mention that rather than pre -maturely bindi ng themselves to 
international e -commerce rules at this nascent stage, when most issues and the potential related to 
this area are not fully understood, developing countries and LDCs need to focus on improving their 
domestic physical and digital infrastruc ture, and developing their policy and regulatory frameworks, 
so as to bridge the digital divide and enable the benefits of digitalisation to be equitably shared.  
5.14.   Given the importance of the subject, I must mention that India has supported and encouraged 
women's entrepreneurship through various schemes, such as MUDRA, Stand -up India, Self -Help 
Groups and Mahila -e-Haat, a direct online marketing platform, to showcase products of women 
entrepreneurs. Moreover, to enhance employability of women, India is provi ding training to them 
through a network of Women Industrial Training institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes 
and Regional Vocational Training Institutes.  
Conclusion  
5.15.   I must state that we are humbled by the kind words of appreciation from several  Members 
for India’s active role at the WTO. I wish to reaffirm to the Membership, our deep commitment to 
the multilateral trading system and our continued positive role in the future. We noted the interest 
of some Members in India joining the Joint Statem ent Initiatives (JSI). I wish to state in this regard 
that India firmly believes that multilateral avenues, based on consensus, are the most effective 
means to achieve inclusive development -oriented outcomes. The multi -lateral process spearheaded 
by the WT O, would receive a great impetus through the credibility that prioritizing completion of 
negotiations on the already mandated issues would provide, rather than undermining this credibility 
by making new issues its overwhelming concern, before this is done.  I would re -iterate that to be WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  sustainable and fair, the approach to WTO reform must be development centric and address existing 
imbalances and asymmetries to ensure a level playing field for developing Members, including LDCs.  
5.16.   I must also, at this stage,  convey my gratitude to our LDC Members on their positive 
assessment about India’s contribution at multilateral fora as well as India's very liberal Duty -Free 
Tariff Preference Scheme.  
5.17.   In conclusion, I once again thank all Members for their interest and a ctive participation in this 
review, from which we have gained immensely. I trust the large number of insightful questions 
posed by you is an indicator of your keen interest in strengthening trade ties with India, which we 
would wholeheartedly welcome and e ncourage. I hope we have been able to satisfactorily respond 
to all your queries and observations. Should there be any further questions, we would be more than 
happy to provide written responses.  
DISCUSSANT  
5.18.   Let me, first of all, congratulate H.E. Dr. Anup Wadhawan, Commerce Secretary, and his team 
for the outstanding work done in this Review. I commend them for their hard work in responding to 
more than 1,000 questions from 32 Members and for the specific answers that they have provided 
to the areas of main  concerns.  
5.19.   As we are nearing the end of our deliberations, I would like to make a few comments drawing 
on the statements over these two days.  
5.20.   Firstly, I am pleased that we had lively exchanges and engaged debate, and I would like to 
thank the 52 delegatio ns that shared with us constructive interventions.  
5.21.   It is clear that as the 5th largest economy in the world, India is one of the engine for global 
trade. And, since India is increasingly integrated into the global economy, it is a major trading 
partner for  many delegations.  
5.22.   A high number of Members who took the floor proves that India’s trade and investment 
regimes have been taken very seriously by Members. It also shows the degree to which India has 
become a key Member of the multilateral trading system.  
5.23.   Secondly, Members commended India's economic growth during the review period, 
particularly in the services sector. India’s consistent effort to improve its business environment was 
highly valued. Members welcomed the streamlining of India's customs procedu res and the 
implementation of trade facilitation measures, leading to a substantial reduction of time and costs 
of border and document compliances for exports and imports in the last few years. This progress is 
reflected in an impressive development of Ind ia’s ranking on both the Trading Across Borders and 
Ease of Doing Business indicators in the World Bank’s Doing Business Reports during the review 
period, positioning India as one of the economies with the most notable improvement in the world.  
5.24.   In addition , many of the delegations welcomed the introduction of the nationwide Goods and 
Services Tax in 2017 to reduce complexity in the indirect tax system. On investment, Members 
commended India's continuing effort to liberalize its investment policies including  raising foreign 
ownership limits in many sectors.  
5.25.   Thirdly, concerns raised by Members on specific issues indicate rooms for further 
improvement of India’s polices to amplify its attractiveness as a trade and investment destination. 
For example, Members encouraged India to further liberalize its agriculture sector; continue its 
endeavour to improve tariff structure; further promote foreign investment in banking, retail, e -
commerce, insurance, mining and other sectors; remove complexity in import l icensing procedures; 
updating its subsidy notification; align its SPS and TBT standards with international standards; as 
well as exercise more caution and due restraint when imposing trade remedies measures.  
5.26.   Finally, India’s active participation at the WTO  has been appreciated by many Members. What 
is clear is that constructive engagement of India will be critical in upholding and strengthening the 
multilateral trading system. In this context, Members highlighted India’s contributions in various WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  discussions  and negotiations. Members also acknowledged India's endeavours within this 
Organization to support the interests of developing countries and LDCs.  
5.27.   In closing, allow me to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for inviting me to be a discussant in this 7th 
TPR of India . It has been a great honour and a privilege. I wish to congratulate the Indian delegation 
again for their active participation in this TPR. Thank you very much for your attention.  
ARGENTINA  
5.28.   Quisiéramos asociarnos a los Miembros que han dado la bienvenida a la delegación de la 
India. Hacemos extensivo nuestro reconocimiento a la labor de su Representante Permanente ante 
esta Casa; y a la ponente, la Embajadora Sunanta Kangvalkulkij de Tailandia, por sus valiosos 
comentarios.  
5.29.   Agradecemos, al mismo tiempo, lo s informes preparados por la India y la Secretaría, los 
cuales nos han permitido profundizar nuestro conocimiento de las políticas comerciales de este 
distinguido Miembro.  
5.30.   A la Argentina le complace observar que, desde su último examen de las políticas co merciales, 
la India ha logrado un crecimiento económico superior al 7% anual. Si bien este crecimiento se ha 
ralentizado un poco desde el año pasado, es encomiable que las variables macro como las 
exportaciones e importaciones hayan aumentado durante el mi smo período. En cuanto al sector 
exportador, se observa una transición hacia exportaciones de tecnología media con mayor valor 
agregado, lo cual estamos seguros contribuirá a diversificar el patrón exportador de la India.  
5.31.   Un área donde se aprecian grandes avances es la Inversión Extranjera Directa (IED). 
Saludamos, en tal sentido, que la India haya continuado con su proceso de liberalización de las 
inversiones en sectores como el agro, las comunicaciones y el comercio electrónico. Si bien existen 
áreas de i mportancia para mi país que aún permanecen cerradas a la IED, como la agricultura, la 
Argentina ve con buenos ojos los esfuerzos para ofrecer un marco regulatorio más amigable a la 
inversión extranjera.  
5.32.   De igual manera, aplaudimos que la India haya adoptad o una serie de medidas destinadas a 
facilitar el comercio. Entre ellas, destacamos las orientadas a reducir los requisitos de documentación 
y la automatización del sistema de despacho de aduana para importaciones y exportaciones.  
5.33.   Con todo, creemos que exi sten algunos aspectos de la política comercial de la India que 
merecen mayor atención. El promedio aritmético de los aranceles de Nación Más Favorecida (NMF), 
por ejemplo, aumentó ligeramente de 2014 a la fecha. En materia de agricultura, observamos que 
el rango de los aranceles NMF aplicados llega hasta el 150%, y que los aranceles NMF consolidados 
doblan esa cifra. De manera similar, y si bien reconocemos la importancia de cumplir con objetivos 
de seguridad alimentaria, seguimos con atención la implementa ción de todas aquellas medidas 
destinadas a regular importaciones y exportaciones agrícolas, como así también las vinculadas al 
control de precios internos.  
5.34.   A modo de cierre, no quisiéramos dejar de expresar nuestro reconocimiento por esta nueva 
oportunida d de abordar las prácticas comerciales de la India.  
5.35.   Deseamos a sus autoridades la exitosa conclusión de este Examen.  
UNITED  STATES  
5.36.   The United States would like to thank the delegation of India for your presence online 
Wednesday and today, and in addition express our appreciation for the work which has gone into 
preparation for this Trade Policy Review.   We value the insights received  from 
Ambassador Navnit, the discussant, Ambassador Sunanta, and as always, the expert contributions 
of the Secretariat.    
5.37.   We would also like to express our thanks for the constructive discussion on both days of this 
TPR and the responses provided to our previously submitted written questions, which are being 
reviewed in Washington.  We reiterate the priority we place on further advancing and strengthening WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  our bilateral partnership with the Government of India, and also here at the WTO .  As evidenced by 
the rapid expansion of India’s trade with the United States and many other WTO Members, 
India’s importance and responsibility within this institution continues to increase.     
5.38.   Clearly, the large number of Members who participated actively in this TPR refle cts the 
widespread interest in India and its trade policies.  This is to be expected, especially for an economy 
of India’s size and growth potential.  It has struck us that this interest is also very much connected 
to some common threads of concern with re gard to India’s recent tariff increases, its high applied 
MFN rates, and a wide range of TBT and SPS measures that impact Members’ trade with India.   
5.39.   Further, there was a common theme expressed by Members regarding the lack of 
transparency in many aspects  of India’s trade policy, including a disappointing performance in WTO 
notifications, and limited notice and comment procedures for domestic and foreign stakeholders.    
5.40.   In regard to the aforementioned concerns, the United States submitted several follow -up 
questions overnight; those follow -up questions focus primarily on instances where India did not 
sufficiently respond to the questions that had been submitted.   
5.41.   For example, the United States asked India to explain why it had not submitted a Table ES:1 
notification to the Committee on Agriculture in more than eight years, with its most recent 
notification covering a marketing year that is more than a decade ago.  
5.42.   India’s responses gave no indication of why it had it not submitted the outstanding 
notificat ions, nor did they indicate when all outstanding ES:1 notifications would be submitted. We 
ask India to fulfil its transparency obligations in this area and notify future relevant measures and 
regulations in a timely manner.  
5.43.   In addition, the United States  will be carefully following the institutional and legal frameworks 
covering intellectual property rights in India. We note again that, while India’s enforcement of IP 
has gradually improved over the years, it has been inconsistent and India remains one of  the world’s 
most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP.  
5.44.   As a major fishing nation and significant player in WTO negotiations, we look forward to India’s 
constructive engagement in the ongoing fisheries subsidies neg otiations as we work collectively 
toward a successful and meaningful conclusion as soon as possible in 2021.  
5.45.   The United States values our bilateral relationship with India. We look forward to close and 
continuing joint efforts to build strong bilateral eco nomic ties, and to strengthen ongoing cooperation 
multilaterally.    
5.46.   In closing, we would like to congratulate India’s team on a productive TPR and look forward to 
the delegation’s increased engagement in the work of the WTO.  Please accept our best wishes for 
health and continued economic growth.   
EUROPEAN  UNION  
5.47.   On behalf of the European Union, I would like to thank India for the comprehensive overview 
presented on Wednesday of the main trade and economic developments that have occurred during 
the review pe riod and for the statement this morning addressing some of the issues that we raised 
on the first day.  
5.48.   The EU welcomes the useful insights that this review has provided into India’s ongoing and 
planned policies and initiatives to foster sustainable economi c growth, enhance its integration in 
global supply chains and strengthen its regulatory environment.  
5.49.   We hope that the comments received from WTO Members will encourage and support India 
to further review and reform its trade policies, with a view to addressing the challenges and 
shortcomings that have been highlighted by many delegations.  
5.50.   In this respect, the EU would like to flag its continued concern regarding the overall direction 
of India’s trade and investment policies, notably regarding the exte nt of its trade openness, and how WT/TPR/W/ 185 • India  
 
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  some of the measures taken under the “Make in India” initiative could run against the initiative’s 
goals.  
5.51.   The EU hopes to see positive development regarding the key issues that we have raised in 
relation to customs duties,  customs procedures, SPS requirements, agricultural notifications, 
intellectual property rights and geographical indications, government procurement and, last but not 
least, domestic standards that deviate from internationally -agreed ones.  
5.52.   We have submitt ed some follow -up questions on some of these and other issues and we would 
be grateful for the replies within the timelines foreseen for this exercise.  
5.53.   Additionally, the EU has received conflicting signals regarding possible export restrictions by 
India o n COVID -19 vaccines. This is an important subject for this Organization where India itself has 
taken a leading role. Given the importance of India as a major producer of vaccines, we count on 
India to continue to contribute to the fight against the global pandemic. We would therefore welcome 
full transparency and clarity regarding the export restrictions. We have submitted a follow -up 
question on this issue via the Secretariat and we are looking forward to a reply in due course.  
5.54.   In conclusion, the EU would  like to thank the delegation of India for undergoing this important 
transparency exercise in a virtual format and despite the challenging circumstances. It demonstrates 
India’s commitment to the WTO, as has been noted by several Members during this Review . We are 
confident that our excellent cooperation will continue and will contribute to sustainable socio -
economic recovery from the pandemic.  
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  6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON  
6.1.  The seventh Trade Policy Review of India has given us a good opportunity t o gain a better 
understanding about the trade, economic, and investment policies adopted by India since its 
previous Review in 2015, and the challenges that it continues to face. The statement from the head 
of India's delegation, Mr Anup Wadhawan, Commerce  Secretary, greatly facilitated our discussion. 
As did the thoughtful remarks from our discussant, Ambassador Sunanta Kangvalkulkij of Thailand. 
I would like to thank India for its active engagement in this review process, despite all the constraints 
posed  by the COVID -19 pandemic. The large number of interventions made at this meeting (52 
delegations) is an illustration of the high importance attached by Members to India's trade and 
investment policies and practices.  
6.2.  Members commended India on its strong e conomic growth during the review period, 
particularly in the services sector, allowing India to become one of the world's largest economies. 
Members believed that the continuous economic reforms focussed on increasing efficiency and 
inclusiveness contribut ed to these positive developments and led to an improvement in socio -
economic indicators, such as per -capita income and life expectancy. Members expected that this 
positive economic performance would help to further integrate India into the global economy and 
make a larger contribution to world trade.  
6.3.  Members noted that India had adopted a comprehensive stabilization and stimulus package to 
deal with the impact of the pandemic. They encouraged India to ensure that these measures are 
designed and implemente d in a transparent manner and meet legitimate policy goals without unduly 
restricting trade. In this regard, as at the time of the last Review, Members reminded India of the 
importance of providing sufficient information to guarantee transparency on the im plementation of 
its regulations in order to avoid an unnecessary burden on economic operators. Members also urged 
India to submit notifications on a regular basis to the WTO, especially those related to export 
subsidies for agricultural products.  
6.4.  Members n oted that India, as a founding Member of the WTO and a major trading nation, had 
benefitted from the rules -based multilateral trading system. In this context, India was urged to play 
a constructive role in ongoing negotiations and reform efforts. Members i nvited India to participate 
in the new Informal Working Group on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Likewise, 
Members encouraged India to join initiatives such as the Informal Working Group on Micro, Small 
and Medium -sized Enterprises as well as the t hree Joint Statement Initiatives on e -commerce, 
services domestic regulation, and investment facilitation. Regarding regional trade agreements, 
Members noted that during the review period India did not conclude any broad -based trade 
agreement and that it h ad withdrawn from the RCEP. Some Members urged India to finalize ongoing 
RTA negotiations and encouraged India to consider simplifying its rules of origin requirements. 
Members thanked India for providing duty free and quota free access for LDC exports.  
6.5.  Members commended India's measures to improve its business and investment environment, 
which included raising foreign equity limits in some sectors, opening up others, and facilitating 
investment procedures. Members took note of the programmes put in place t o promote foreign direct 
investment and local manufacturing, and to further integrate into global supply chains such as Make 
in India, Digital India, Start -up India, Skill India and Self -Reliant India. They welcomed these 
initiatives, while raising concern s about the possible trade restrictions they could introduce, urging 
India to be mindful of any trade implications.  
6.6.  Members welcomed India's adoption of trade facilitation measures resulting from the 
implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) . Nevertheless, Members noted that India’s 
trade policy had remained largely unchanged since the previous Review, with continued heavy 
reliance on instruments such as the tariff, export taxes, minimum import prices, import and export 
restrictions, and lice nsing. On the tariff, concerns were expressed with respect to its complexity and 
uncertainty, the increase in tariff rates, tariff preferences, and tariff concessions. Members welcomed 
the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax which replaced several  indirect taxes and would 
result in increased transparency in India's taxation system. Highlighting that India was an active 
user of trade remedies, Members asked India to take a more cautious approach in applying anti -
dumping and safeguard measures and em phasized that all relevant investigations should be 
conducted in conformity with WTO provisions. Some Members raised concerns about India's use of 
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  6.7.  On other issues, some Members welcomed the modernization of the government procurement 
regime, but concerns were expressed regarding preferences granted to local suppliers. Members 
also noted the role of the state in several sectors, including the existence of state tradin g enterprises. 
Some Members welcomed the adoption of the National IPR Policy and India's efforts to improve its 
IPR regime; however, challenges to better protect and enforce IPRs were also noted.  
6.8.  Concerns were expressed about the high level of government i ntervention in the agriculture 
sector. Members recognized the importance of the sector in supporting livelihoods and food security; 
however, they urged India to reform its agricultural policies that continued to be based on significant 
levels of domestic a nd export support for key crops, including through subsidies for certain crops 
such as sugar, and to inputs. Members recognized India's efforts to liberalize this sector but believed 
that further liberalization would benefit India's consumers and producers . They also encouraged 
India to actively participate in the agricultural negotiations as well as in the fisheries negotiations.  
6.9.  Members noted that India's economic growth has been driven by the services sector, and 
welcomed India's further openness in seve ral sectors. Relaxation of cabotage and developments in 
digitalization were also mentioned. Given the importance of the services sector, Members considered 
that India's active involvement in the ongoing WTO discussions, such as on services domestic 
regulat ions and e -commerce, would contribute to further India's economic development.  
6.10.   These points briefly cover the main topics addressed during this Review. Let me once again 
thank India, the discussant, and the rest of the Members for their valuable very posit ive and active 
contribution to our two days of discussions, which provided us with a better understanding of India's 
trade and related policies and practices and helped us identify the achievements accomplished since 
the last Review in 2015, and the challe nges that remain ahead. Members hoped that the Indian 
economy would soon return to its growth path following a stronger and more diversified integration 
into the world economy.  
6.11.   India received more than 1,000 advance written questions from 32 Members, and i t has 
already responded to most of them. In a month's time, Members should receive replies to questions 
that are still outstanding, which will then mark the successful conclusion of India's seventh Review.  
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