ISDS Case Map
ASEAN
China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming and the economic ministers from 10 ASEAN member states Saturday morning signed the ASEAN-China Investment Agreement during the 41st ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM) and related meetings in Bangkok.
Labour organisations, farmers, civil society organisations and experts urged the government of India not to implement India-ASEAN FTA
The Indian government came under attack from the Opposition, particularly the Left, for “rushing into” signing the free trade agreement (FTA) with ASEAN. The Left parties said the entire issue lacked transparency as the details of the FTA are kept under wraps.
Hours after the free trade agreement was signed with the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations in Bangkok, Kerala's Chief Minister told reporters that it would lead farmers in the state to commit suicide.
India and the 10-country Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN signed a free trade agreement on Thursday after more than six years of negotiations, but the deal did not embrace software and information technology.
Economic ministers from the 10 Southeast Asian countries will sign the Asean-China Investment Agreement during the 41st Asean Economic Ministers this week, but the long-delayed free trade pact with India is likely to be postponed again.
"If this FTA goes through, pepper may cease to be produced in Kerala, the land where it originated," says Thomas Verghese, a distinguished agricultural scientist and chairman of the Kerala State Prices Board
Leaders from Kerala have vociferously opposed the Asean free trade agreement that could impact its farmers in future. The same cannot be said about many coffee growers who have little political muscle. Karnataka produces 70% of coffee in India.
The India-ASEAN FTA issue is fast becoming a topic of political one-upmanship in Kerala with the Congress and the Left trying to score points over each other.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has ensured that the India-ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement would protect the interests of Indian farmers by yielding no tariff concession to ASEAN countries, said a senior Indian government official on Monday.
