India–UAE CEPA Review Pushes Trade Momentum
Bilateral trade crosses USD 100 billion; both sides vow stronger regulatory and market cooperation
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 27th Nov: India and the United Arab Emirates convened the third meeting of the Joint Committee under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in New Delhi, reaffirming the rapid rise in bilateral economic engagement. The talks were co-chaired by Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ajay Bhadoo, and UAE Assistant Undersecretary for International Trade Affairs, Juma Al Kait.
Both sides welcomed the steady growth in bilateral trade, which reached USD 100.06 billion in FY 2024–25, marking a robust 19.6% increase and reinforcing the UAE’s position as one of India’s leading trading partners. The CEPA Joint Committee continues to serve as the primary mechanism to assess progress, resolve challenges, and oversee implementation of the trade pact.
The meeting featured detailed discussions on market access issues, data sharing, allocation of the Gold Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ), anti-dumping matters, services trade, Rules of Origin, and BIS licensing. India briefed the UAE on its decision to allocate Gold TRQ through a transparent competitive bidding process.
Recent high-level engagements, including meetings between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UAE Minister Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi in Mumbai and Dubai, were also reviewed. Both sides reiterated their commitment to boosting non-oil and non-precious metal trade, aiming for the USD 100 billion target by 2030.
The discussions also covered regulatory cooperation in pharmaceuticals, smoother processing of Certificates of Origin, enhanced BIS coordination, and early signing of the MoU on Food Safety and Technical Requirements between APEDA and the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
The session concluded with an agreement to advance trade facilitation, strengthen regulatory collaboration, expand data-sharing mechanisms and hold the Services Subcommittee meeting soon. The UAE delegation also met Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal to discuss ways to optimise CEPA utilisation. The visit marked the continued commitment of both nations to deepen trade ties and reinforce their strategic economic partnership.
