Free trade agreements : India and the world / V. S. Seshadri.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seshadri, V. S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Free trade--India.

Free trade.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 pages)

Place of Publication:

Oxford, England : Oxford University Press, [2023]

Summary:

A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is an agreement between two or more countries where the countries agree on certain terms and conditions that affect trade between them. This book tries to capture various aspects of these agreements keeping India's position in mind.

Contents:

Cover

Free Trade Agreements

Copyright

Contents

Preface

List of Abbreviations

1. Free Trade Agreements and their Evolution

1.1 Introduction

1.2 FTAs and Terminologies Used

1.3 Legal Framework for FTAs as per WTO Rules

1.3.1 Legal Provisions Relating to Goods Trade

1.3.2 Legal Provisions for Services Trade

1.4 Notification Requirements for FTAs

1.5 Evolution of FTAs Globally

1.6 Notified FTAs to the WTO Secretariat

1.7 Drivers behind FTAs

1.7.1 FTAs in Asia

1.7.2 FTA-​Making by the United States During the Third Wave

1.7.3 FTAs Involving the EU

1.7.4 Driving Elements also Evolved

1.7.5 India's Own FTAs During the Third Wave

1.8 FTAs: Some Downsides

1.9 FTAs Become Deeper: WTO Plus and WTO Extra

1.10 FTAs in Relation to Market Access

1.11 FTA Provisions in Other Areas

1.12 How Much Trade Gets Routed through FTAs?

1.13 Testing Compatibility of FTAs with WTO Rules

1.13.1 India Takes Turkey to Dispute

1.13.2 Other WTO Disputes Relating to FTAs/​Customs Unions

1.14 Preference of FTA Members to Use WTO to Settle Disputes among Themselves

1.15 FTAs and their Coherence with WTO Rules

1.16 The Debate about FTAs Acting as Building Blocks or Stumbling Blocks to Multilateralism

2. India's Free Trade Arrangements

2.1 Introduction

2.2 The Early Phase

2.2.1 Trade Agreements with Bhutan and Nepal

2.2.2 Preferential Trade Agreement with Egypt and then Yugoslavia

2.2.3 Bilateral Trade Agreements

2.2.4 Bangkok Agreement that Eventually Became APTA

2.2.5 Global System of Tariff Preferences

2.2.6 Initiatives in South Asia

2.2.7 India-​Sri Lanka FTA (ISLFTA)

2.3 The Active FTA-​Making Phase (2001-​11)

2.3.1 A Conducive Context Emerges

2.3.2 Joint Study Groups Set Up for a Host of FTAs in PM Vajpayee's Time.

2.3.3 The UPA Government Takes Forward the Regional FTA-​Making Process

2.3.4 FTAs which Were Concluded

2.3.5 South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA)

2.3.6 India-​ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (IATIGA)

2.3.7 India-​Korea CEPA (IKCEPA)

2.3.8 India-​Malaysia CECA (IMCECA)

2.3.9 India-​Japan CEPA (IJCEPA)

2.3.10 Factors that Facilitated the Active FTA-​Making Phase

2.3.11 Not All FTA Negotiations Were However Conclusive

2.4 Salient Features in India's FTAs: Market Access in Merchandise Goods

2.4.1 India's FTAs in South Asia

2.4.2 The Market Access Package in ISLFTA

2.4.3 The Tariff Reduction Package under SAFTA

2.4.4 Market Access in Goods in India's FTAs with ASEAN Countries

2.4.5 Market Access under ISCECA

2.4.6 Market Access Package in IATIGA

2.4.7 The Market Access Package under IMCECA

2.4.8 Market Access in India's FTAs with the Republic of Korea and Japan

2.4.9 Market Access Package under IKCEPA

2.4.10 Market Access Package under IJCEPA

2.5 Rules of Origin in India's FTAs

2.6 Trade Remedies in India's FTAs

2.6.1 Bilateral Safeguards Measures

2.7 Technical Standards, Regulations, and SPS Measures in India's FTAs

2.8 Liberalization of Trade in Services in India's FTAs

2.8.1 Services Liberalization under the India-​Singapore CECA

2.8.2 Services Liberalization under India-​Korea CEPA

2.8.3 Services Liberalization under the CEPA with Japan

2.8.4 Services Liberalization under India-​Malaysia CECA

2.8.5 India ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement (IATISA)

2.8.6 Comparative Assessment of India's FTAs Relating to Trade in Services

2.9 Investment Treatment and Protection under India's FTAs

2.9.1 Treatment to Be Accorded to Investments and Investors

2.9.2 Market Access in Investment in India's FTAs

2.9.3 Expropriation

2.9.4 Investor-​State Dispute Settlement.

2.10 Other Issues Covered in India's FTAs

2.10.1 Additional Coverage in ISCECA and IMCECA

2.10.2 Additional Coverage in IKCEPA

2.10.3 Additional Coverage in IJCEPA

2.11 Dispute Settlement

2.12 Concluding Note

3. Impact Assessment of Three Indian FTAs

3.1 Trade in Goods

3.1.1 India-​Korea CEPA (IKCEPA)

3.1.2 India-​Japan CEPA

3.1.3 India-​Singapore CECA

3.2 Trade in Commercial Services

3.2.1 Trade in Services with Japan under IJCEPA

3.2.2 Trade in Services with Korea under IKCEPA

3.2.3 Trade in Services with Singapore under ISCECA

3.3 Investment Flows

3.3.1 Investment Flows Between India and Korea

3.3.2 Investment Flows Between India and Japan

3.3.3 Investment Flows Between India and Singapore

3.4 Concluding Note

4. The Republic of Korea and Its FTA Network

4.1 Introduction

4.2 The Evolution of Korea's FTA Network

4.2.1 Korea's FTA Roadmap 2004

4.2.2 The Changing Global Scene and Korea's Turn to Its Own Region

4.2.3 New Trade Roadmap of 2013

4.2.4 Is There a Korea FTA 4.0 Already at Work?

4.3 Market Access Commitments in Korea's FTAs

4.3.1 Extent of Tariff Reductions

4.3.2 Tariff Reductions by Korea on Agriculture Products

4.3.3 Tariff Commitments on Non Agricultural Goods

4.4 Rules of Origin in Korea's FTAs

4.4.1 ROO Compliance: Certification Mechanisms

4.4.2 Outward Processing Trade

4.5 Trade Remedy Provisions in Korea's FTAs

4.5.1 Action Against Dumping and Subsidization

4.5.2 Safeguards

4.6 Product Regulations in Korea's FTAs

4.6.1 Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures

4.6.2 Dealing with Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

4.7 Other Commitments that Impinge on Market Access

4.8 Concluding Note

5. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 A Chequered History.

5.2 Market Access Provisions for Trade in Goods

5.3 Rules of Origin

5.4 Trade Facilitation

5.5 Trade Remedies

5.6 Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures

5.7 Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

5.8 Investment

5.9 Cross-​border Trade in Services

5.9.1 Financial Services Treated Differently

5.9.2 Movement of Natural Persons

5.10 Electronic Commerce

5.11 Intellectual Property Rights

5.11.1 Distinguishing Features in CPTPP from the TRIPS Agreement

5.12 Labour

5.13 Environment

5.14 State-​owned Enterprises and Designated Monopolies

5.15 Government Procurement

5.16 Chapters on Regulatory Governance

5.17 Chapters on Business Facilitation

5.18 Chapters Focusing on Development Cooperation

5.19 Concluding Note

6. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Market Access Commitments in Goods under RCEP

6.3 Rules of Origin

6.3.1 Cumulation and Tariff Differentials

6.3.2 Certificate of Origin Can Be Issued by Authorized Exporters

6.4 Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation

6.5 Trade Remedies in RCEP

6.5.1 Transitional Safeguard Measure

6.6 Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

6.7 Technical Barriers to Trade

6.8 Trade in Services under RCEP

6.8.1 A Hybrid Approach Adopted on Specific Commitments

6.8.2 Regulatory Annexes

6.8.3 Updated Architecture but with Varied Commitment Levels

6.9 Investment Chapter in RCEP

6.9.1 No Investor-​State Dispute Settlement Mechanism

6.10 Electronic Commerce

6.10.1 Differences with CPTPP

6.11 Intellectual Property Rights in RCEP

6.11.1 Copyrights

6.11.2 Trademarks

6.11.3 Geographical Indications (GIs)

6.11.4 Patents and Industrial Designs

6.11.5 Traditional Knowledge

6.11.6 IPR Enforcement

6.12 Other Issues Covered in RCEP

6.12.1 Government Procurement.

6.12.2 Competition

6.12.3 SMEs and Technical Cooperation

6.13 Institutional and Other Provisions in RCEP

6.14 India and RCEP: Why India Decided Not to Join

6.14.1 All Other RCEP Countries Were Somewhat Better Positioned

6.14.2 India's Specific Concerns

6.14.3 India Had Mooted a Three-​tiered Approach

6.14.4 Other Members Focus Mainly on Market Access in Goods

6.14.5 India's Pull-​out Announcement and the Reasons Stated

6.14.6 Issues Other than Market Access Could Have Been Handled

6.14.7 Why Were Other Parties Not More Accommodative?

6.14.8 The China Factor

6.14.9 An RCEP Strategy Was Needed

6.14.10 Will India Decide to Join RCEP in the Future?

7. The Way Forward for India

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Should India Be Pursuing Negotiation of Further FTAs?

7.2.1 India's Low FTA Coverage

7.2.2 Indian Exporters at a Disadvantage in Other Markets

7.2.3 Disproportionate Advantage for Existing FTA Partners

7.2.4 FTAs Help Navigate Non-​Tariff Impediments

7.2.5 FTAs Help Promote Supply Chains

7.2.6 But Earlier FTAs Did Not Bring Commensurate Gains. How Can We Be Sure Future Ones Will?

7.2.7 Asymmetric Tariff Preferences and the China Factor

7.2.8 Trade Diversions?

7.2.9 Trade with Individual ASEAN Countries Has Varied

7.2.10 Mitigating Elements of the Impact

7.2.11 India's Competitiveness also a Factor but Some Sectors Fared Better

7.2.12 Investments in Both Directions Have Risen

7.2.13 India's Trade with SAARC Partners

7.2.14 Would India Have Been Better Off Without these FTAs?

7.3 Could the Past FTAs Have Been Negotiated Better?

7.3.1 The Market Access Coverage and Depth

7.3.2 Rules of Origin: Need for Dual Criterion?

7.3.3 Rules of Origin: Need to Provide for India's Staple Exports

7.3.4 Dealing with Standards and Mutual Recognitions.

7.3.5 Importance of Having a Compulsory Review Provision.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Print version: Seshadri, V. S. Free Trade Agreements

ISBN:

0-19-887592-4

0-19-887593-2

9780191987618

OCLC:

1374427540