Category: international trade
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The Long Road to an India–US Trade Compact: Between Strategic Convergence and Structural Friction
A Relationship Shaped by History, Not Habit The idea of an India–US Free Trade Agreement has resurfaced many times over the past three decades, only to stall at the intersection of economics and politics. Unlike India’s trade engagements with the EU, ASEAN, or even the UK, a US trade deal…
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India–EU Free Trade Agreement: From Missed Opportunities to a Strategic Economic Reset
The India–European Union economic relationship has long been defined by potential rather than performance. Despite being natural partners—India as a fast-growing consumption and manufacturing base, and the EU as a technology, capital, and standards powerhouse—bilateral trade has remained modest relative to scale. The renewed push toward an India–EU Free Trade…
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External Sector at a Crossroads: When Goods Stall and Services Carry the Load
India’s external sector has entered a familiar but increasingly fragile phase. Merchandise exports remain under sustained pressure, reflecting not just cyclical weakness but deeper structural shifts in the global economy. Weak global demand, prolonged manufacturing slowdowns in advanced economies, and ongoing trade-policy uncertainty have combined to dampen orders for goods-intensive…
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India–Russia Trade Reset: Strategic Openings After Putin’s 2025 Visit
India’s renewed engagement with Russia following Vladimir Putin’s December 4–5, 2025 visit marks a decisive shift in New Delhi’s long-term foreign economic strategy. The new Economic Cooperation Programme till 2030 signals that the partnership is evolving beyond energy dependency into a structured, multi-sector commercial relationship with a clearly stated ambition:…
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Global Trade at a Crossroads: The Geopolitical Economics of Decoupling
The global trading system is entering a new phase—one defined not by efficiency and cost advantages but by security, resilience, and strategic autonomy. Over the past three decades, globalization was driven by the pursuit of low-cost manufacturing, scale efficiencies, and integrated supply chains. China became the world’s industrial backbone, supplying…
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China’s Textile Slowdown: A Turning Point in the Global Apparel System
The global textile landscape is shifting—and this time, the movement is structural rather than cyclical. China’s textile exports have now declined for the second consecutive quarter, signalling not just a slowdown but a deeper recalibration driven by rising labour costs, compliance pressures, geopolitical tariffs, and consumer-driven sustainability requirements. Historically, China…
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India’s Textiles & Apparel Transition: Between Tariffs, Technology, and a Global Reset
India’s textiles and apparel industry stands at a defining crossroads — not because of a single disruption, but because of the convergence of tariffs, technology, and labour dynamics that are reshaping global competitiveness. The recent policy shifts, global protectionism, and emerging supply-chain restructurings have created a paradoxical moment: pressure and…
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India’s Widening Trade Deficit and Declining Rupee: A Turning Point for Economic Strategy
India is entering a decisive phase in its economic journey as the trade deficit surges to historic levels while the rupee continuously weakens against the US dollar. These twin developments are not isolated market fluctuations — they represent structural tensions in India’s external sector, shaped by deep historical legacies and…
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Confidence in India’s Logistics Cost: The Story of Economic Transition
For decades, one of the most cited bottlenecks to India’s global competitiveness was its high logistics cost. Economists, investors and policymakers repeatedly argued that India’s logistics bill—long believed to be 13–14% of GDP—reduced export competitiveness, limited manufacturing output and made supply chains inefficient, especially compared to advanced economies averaging 8–10%.However,…
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Why Indian Businesses Can No Longer Treat the Global Environment as “Neutral”
For decades, Indian businesses were taught that global markets reward efficiency, low costs, and competitiveness. The implicit assumption was that the international economic environment is stable and neutral — that trade rules apply equally to all, and global supply chains function smoothly regardless of politics.That assumption no longer holds. History…
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