India seeks demand list from Asean nations
Economic Times | 14 Dec 2009
India seeks demand list from Asean nations
Amiti Sen, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: India has taken the first concrete step towards concluding a deal with the Asean for liberalising trade in services, including cross-border movement of professionals, sending a request list to all Asean members pointing out where exactly the country wants greater access.
The dialogue can begin in earnest once these countries get back with their reactions and also their own position on opening the trade in services.
The services negotiations are taking place on a request-offer basis, wherein both sides make requests for the openings they seek and offers are made by the receiving country based on the requests. There are four meetings scheduled between January and July and the deal is expected to be finalised by August, a commerce department official has said.
India and Asean concluded their free trade agreement in goods earlier this year, which is scheduled to be implemented from January 1, 2010. The two sides are now working on the agreements on services and investments so that a comprehensive pact including goods, services and investments is in place by August next year.
“India has submitted its requests to all Asean member countries,” a commerce department official, who wished not to be named, confirmed to ET.
While India has received requests for opening up its services markets from Malaysia, it is waiting for similar requests from other countries.
“We are hopeful of receiving requests from all members by the year-end, following which offers can be made,” the official said.
India expects to gain most from the negotiations on services, as tariffs on goods in the Asean region are already low and the improved market access through the FTA was minimal.
India has made requests in a number of areas including teaching, nursing, architecture, chartered accountancy and medicine as it has a large number of English speaking professionals in these areas who can gain from job opportunities in the Asean region.
India is also keen on expanding its telecom, IT, tourism and banking network in the Asean countries, the official added.
“The good thing about the services negotiations is that they take place on the basis of a positive list which gives members the flexibility to include new areas even after the agreement is implemented,” said Ram Upendra Das from Research & Information System for developing and non-alligned countries.
So, even if the agreement takes place in a few areas, those could be implemented first, and the rest can be worked out later, he added.
