India keen to have FTAs with EU, US: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister $ Jaishankar on Sunday spoke of learning lessons from India’s initial free trade agreements (FTAs) with Asean nations, terming them as economies that compete with India and provide a pathway for Chinese goods to enter the Indian market.

- ARCHIS MOHAN

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Kautilya Economic Conclave 2025 on Sunday

(PTI)

He said India should focus on signing FTAs with countries having predictable economies, and which are noncompeting. In this context, the minister said New Delhi is pleased with the FTA it has inked with the United Kingdom (UK). He said India is keen to have FTAs with the European Union (EU) and United States (US), which have deep, sustainable, and predictable market economies, but its “red lines” should be respected.

In recent years, New Delhi has revisited and reviewed its trade agreements with East Asian countries, apart from having walked out of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2019.