India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) formally launched negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with an early harvest to be concluded by the end December.
Visiting United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and trade minister Piyush Goyal issued a joint statement after their meeting, saying that the first round of CEPA negotiations will be held on 23-24 September 2021. “Looking to build on the progress made by both countries under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed in 2017; both Ministers expressed a desire to reach a mutually beneficial economic deal. Both sides will aim to conclude negotiations by December 2021 and sign a formal agreement in March 2022 after the completion of internal legal procedures and ratification," the joint statement said.
The UAE is currently India’s third-largest trading partner with bilateral trade in FY20 valued at $59 billion. The UAE is also India’s second-largest export destination after the US, with exports valued at approximately $29 billion in FY20. India was the UAE’s second-largest trading partner in 2019, with bilateral non-oil trade valued at $41 billion. The UAE is the eighth-largest investor in India, having invested $11 billion between April 2000 and March 2021, while investment by Indian companies in the UAE is estimated to be over $85 billion.
India's major exports to the UAE include petroleum products, precious metals, stones, gems and jewellery, minerals, food items such as cereals, sugar, fruits and vegetables, tea, meat, and seafood, textiles, engineering and machinery products, and chemicals. India's top imports from the UAE include crude petroleum and petroleum products, precious metals, stones, gems and jewellery, minerals, chemicals and wood and wood products. India imported $10.9 billion of crude oil from the UAE in FY20.
Both Ministers emphasized that CEPA will create new jobs, raise living standards, and provide broader social and economic opportunities to both nations.
Addressing media, Goyal said items such as textiles, gems and jewellery, footwear and leather products, handicrafts may be included in the limited trade deal to be concluded by December.
UAE on its part may focus on advanced industrial products including petrochemical equipments, ICT products and fintech, said the UAE counterpart of Goyal.