The debate over India not joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) continues with some analysts supportive of the government decision to protect industry and agriculture while others critical of India shying away from being competitive.
JUSTIFYING INDIA’S STAND
Justifying India’s stand on the RCEP, Mohan Kumar (Chairman, Research and Information System for Developing Countries - RIS; former Indian ambassador to France, and former Indian negotiator at GATT/ WTO), points to many areas that were counter to its interests.
“One, India increased its tariffs on a range of items recently and obviously, if it agrees to bring down tariffs, the starting point has to be actual tariffs now, not what existed before. There was no agreement on this.
“Two, safeguards against import surge requested by India did not find favour. China did not do enough to address its China-centric concerns of cheap imports flooding the market. Nor could the other RCEP partners influence China to do so. Japan’s Prime Minister is believed to have tried.
“Three, India tried and failed to put in place a process for strict rules of origin so that there was no circumvention and the possibility of cheap imports flooding the country.
“Four, RCEP partners are believed to have insisted that any trade concessions obtained by India elsewhere had to be made available to them on an MFN (most favoured nation) basis, something the country couldn’t agree to.
“Five, there was no resolution of India’s concerns about non-tariff barriers vis-a-vis ASEAN and China.
“Six, there were real fears here that dairy imports, especially from New Zealand would swamp the market and kill Indian co-operatives.
This story is from the November 18,2019 edition of News behind the News.
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This story is from the November 18,2019 edition of News behind the News.
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TROUBLED TIME FOR MODI
The students’ unrest, however, which is spreading like wildfire across the nation, and the protests by large sections of people against the citizenship law, have belied the BJP’s hopes of having a free run in the foreseeable future in presiding over the country’s destiny from panchayats to parliament, as Union home minister Amit Shah once said.
MUST-WIN FOR BJP IN DELHI POLLS
Having failed to perform satisfactorily in the Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections, the BJP realizes that its rank and file will be hugely demoralized if it does not fare well in the forthcoming Delhi polls.
MILITARY MIGHT AT R-DAY PARADE
Anti-satellite weapon ‘Shakti’, lethal artillery gun ‘Dhanush’, and newly-inducted helicopters Apache and Chinook were among the key military assets showcased by India for the first time at the Republic Day parade on 26 January.
INDIA - PAKISTAN: DEALING WITH PAKISTAN'S AMBITIONS ON KASHMIR
Pakistan’s diplomatic offensive on Kashmir has gained some traction with the EU Parliament debating the issue along with the controversial Citizen’s (Amendment) Act (CAA).
EXPERT ANALYSES UNION BUDGET 2020-21: A MIXED BAG
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s second Budget presented three themes -- aspiring India, economic development, caring society. And it seeks to cater to the demand side of the economy by trying to put more money in the hands of individuals.
DELHI ELECTION: BJP HOPES TO GAIN FROM CAA INSTILLED POLARISATION
The anti-CAA protests took a violent turn as a 17-year-old teenager Thursday shot a Kashmiri protester near Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi.
CAA DEBATE IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: INDIA UNDER PRESSURE
Much to the relief of India, the European Parliament Wednesday decided to put off a vote on a resolution critical of India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) to a session beginning on March 2. The move is being seen as linked to the upcoming India-EU Summit next month.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR: BJP IN A TIGHT CORNER
The government’s policies on Kashmir give the impression that it has bitten off more than it can chew. This is also probably true of the citizenship issue as well, but more of that later.
LAYING A ROAD MAP FOR THE FIRST CDS
Laying a road map for the first CDS, General Rawat, Gurmeet Kanwal (former director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi) suggests the first item on the agenda “should be the formulation of integrated operational plans.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR: ‘FUNDAMENTAL DISAFFECTION' HAS NOT GONE AWAY
A convoy of three dozen Union ministers descended on the newlycreated Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir last week to promote development plans of the Centre.
