The India-UK Free Trade Agreement is poised to eliminate tariffs on 99% of Indian exports and reduce duties on 90% of UK goods, benefiting sectors like luxury vehicles and spirits from the UK, and textiles and leather from India.
Trade chiefs from the US, Mexico, and Canada will meet virtually on the sixth anniversary of the USMCA. The US is expected to initiate a review of the pact, which analysts suggest is a move to limit Chinese market access.
Canada aims to conclude separate free trade agreements with ASEAN and the Philippines by the end of the year, with a $2 million investment in the Luzon Economic Corridor.
India and New Zealand have finalized a free-trade agreement after 15 years of negotiations, with the deal accelerated by supply chain disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz closure and US tariffs. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay signed the pact on Monday, as India awaits a delayed preliminary trade deal with Washington.
India and New Zealand have signed a comprehensive trade agreement in New Delhi that will cut or eliminate tariffs on 95% of New Zealand's exports to India while making all Indian exports to New Zealand duty-free. The deal, negotiated over nine months and agreed in December, includes a New Zealand commitment to invest US$20 billion in India over the next 15 years. The agreement comes as both nations seek to diversify export markets amid US tariffs and regional instability.
Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has said China's close ties with Russia should be a "disqualifying factor" in Beijing's bid to launch free-trade agreement talks with the EU. In an exclusive interview in Helsinki, Valtonen warned that Beijing's relationship with Moscow will block progress towards any EU-China trade deal. The statement gives Finland potential de facto veto power, as no FTA talks can launch without unanimous support from all 27 EU member states.
New Zealand's ruling coalition faces collapse over a free trade agreement with India, as right-wing populist NZ First withdraws support over fears of mass Indian immigration. The government must now rely on opposition Labour Party votes to pass the legislation in parliament. NZ First's deputy leader Shane Jones has vowed his party will "never accept" the deal.
