India, UAE sign Comprehensive Trade Agreement:

GS Paper 2:

Topics Covered: India and neighbourhood relations.

 

Context:

India and the United Arab Emirates have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

 

Current Affairs

 

What is CEPA and how is it different from FTA?

It is a kind of free trade pact which covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership.

  • It may even consider negotiation on areas such as trade facilitation and customs cooperation, competition, and Intellectual Property Rights.
  • Partnership agreements or cooperation agreements are more comprehensive than Free Trade Agreements.
  • CEPA also looks into the regulatory aspect of trade and encompasses an agreement covering the regulatory issues.

 

As per the CEPA signed between India and the UAE:

90% of India’s exports will have duty-free access to the Emirates.

It covers goods, services and digital trade.

 

Benefits:

  • The bilateral trade pact is India’s first in the region and the first comprehensive trade agreement with any country in a decade.
  • The CEPA is likely to benefit about $26 billion worth of Indian products that are currently subjected to 5% import duty by the UAE, India’s third-biggest trading partner behind the US and China.
  • It is expected that the CEPA will lead to an increase in bilateral trade from the current $60 bn to $100 bn in the next 5 years.
  • Through the pact, Indian exporters will also get access to the much larger Arab and African markets.

 

Current Affairs

 

Insta Curious:

Did you know that India was the UAE’s largest export destination and second-largest trade partner in 2019 and the eighth biggest investor with a cumulative foreign direct investment of nearly $11 billion so far?

 

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

  1. About CECA.
  2. About CEPA.
  3. India’s FTAs with other countries.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of India- Australia CECA.

Sources: Indian Express.