India, Australia to conclude free trade pact by end 2022: Tehan
The Hindu
Bilateral trade may double to A$52 bn: Australian Minister
India and Australia agreed on Thursday to conclude a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by end 2022, with an interim agreement that will be finalised by this Christmas, said Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan after meeting Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
“The economic partnership will cover trade in services and goods, investments and we will begin discussing government procurement, energy and resources, logistics and transport, standards, rules of origin,” Mr. Tehan said at a joint briefing. “We have agreed to exchange offers by the end of October.
“This is an extraordinarily ambitious and a big day for the economic partnership between India and Australia,” he asserted, adding that the bilateral trade could double from the current level of A$26 billion once a full-fledged FTA is in place.