India set for trade engagements with US, others from this week

INdia is go down for a serial publication of high-stakes merchandise engagements in the coming weeks, showtime mon, including the first in-person talks with the US in six months, signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand, the first face-to-face negotiations with Canada, operationalisation of the UK FTA, and a push to fast-track the review of its 2010 trade pact with South Korea, people familiar with the matter said.The review of the India-South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is expected to gather pace after both sides appointed chief negotiators, they said. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s three-day visit to India from Sunday is expected to lend momentum.Also read | Clubbing women’s quota, delimitation a democratic decoy, not dacoityNew Delhi has sought a review of the CEPA amid concerns over a widening trade deficit since its implementation in 2010. Negotiations to upgrade the pact began in 2016, with 11 rounds held so far, the last in July 2024 in Seoul. The issue is expected to figure in talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Lee.Talks will resume soon after the 11th round of CEPA upgrade negotiations, which were held in July 2024 in Seoul, people mentioned above said. It is expected that leaders of the two countries may discuss this matter during their bilateral meeting on Monday, they added. The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues, including shipbuilding, trade, investments, AI, semiconductors, critical and emerging technologies and people-to-people connect.Also read | How this Kerala port is playing a crucial role amid Hormuz crisis“We are not looking for any deliverables at the Leaders’ meeting. However, when the Leaders meet, there could be guidance on the way forward on this review also,” one of them said. India imported goods worth $21.06 billion from South Korea in 2024-25 and exported $5.82 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $15.24 billion.Meanwhile, an Indian delegation is in Washington for a three-day round of talks from Monday to finalise an interim bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the US under a revised tariff framework, after reciprocal tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were struck down by the US Supreme Court on February 20. This will be the first in-person engagement between the two sides since October 2025.India is also expected to sign an FTA with New Zealand on April 27, following negotiations that began in March 2025 and concluded in December.In May, India and Canada will hold their first face-to-face round of FTA negotiations in New Delhi, following an initial virtual round in March. Talks had been stalled for over two years after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in a killing on Canadian soil, but resumed after a change in government in Ottawa.Next month in May, India and Canada will hold their first physical round of negotiations in New Delhi, they said. “Talks are expected in early May and this will be the second round of negotiations, but the first face-to-face talks. The first round of negotiations was held virtually from March 9-20, 2026,” a second person said. India and Canada in March signed fresh terms of reference (ToR) for an FTA and formally relaunched negotiations.They started afresh two-and-a-half years after their talks were abruptly halted following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that Indian agents were involved in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist in Canada. After a change in the government in Canada, the Canadian stance also changed, which paved the way for FTA talks.The India-UK FTA, signed in July 2025 as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), is expected to be operationalised in May. The agreement allows duty-free access for 99% of Indian exports to the UK market and has been ratified by both countries.