- Standards creating barriers to Market Access
The Financial Times, August 08, 2002
It is true that developed countries have reduced tariff barriers for many agricultural products. But the crux of the matter is whether developing countries’ products are getting better market access or not. - From Doha to Cancun
The Financial Express, August 05, 2002
The road from Doha has been long and arduous for the poor nations. - Labour: Just Holding the Line is Not Sufficient
The Financial Express, February 08, 2002
India has been maintaining that labour standards should be dealt with by the ILO and not at the WTO where they have the potential of being misused as a protectionist device. - Coalitions in Trade Have Their Own Algebra
The Economic Times, February 9, 2002
It is unwise and unfair to say that a negotiating strategy based on alliances with other developing countries is meaningless. On the contrary, that strategy got India a far better result at the Doha Ministerial Meeting of the WTO than any she could have got otherwise. - Trade in services: Needed, a balanced and proactive approach
The Financial Express, December 06, 2001
In a large international organisation like the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in spite of the “one country, one vote” principle, most of the countries do not get what they deserve. But, for sure they get what they negotiate. - DOHA ASSESSMENT—III
India has no reason to be afraid of ‘competition’?
The Financial Express, November 28, 2001
In the context of a multilateral competition policy, the Doha Ministerial Declaration notes: “Recognising the case for a multilateral framework to enhance the contribution of competition policy to international trade and development… we agree that negotiations will take place after the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference on the basis of a decision to be taken, by explicit consensus, at that Session on modalities of negotiations”. - DOHA ASSESSMENT–II
The trade-labour linkage is not ‘dead’ as yet
The Financial Express, November 27, 2001
Demanding the inclusion of social issues in WTO implies opening the window for never-ending non-trade issues including gender, human rights and social development, all of which fall into the purview of sustainable development. This contamination of trade with non-trade issues certainly does not promote the trade agenda. - DOHA ASSESSMENT-I
What’s in an investment accord?
The Financial Express, November 26, 2001
Investment is one of the new issues, along with competition policy, trade facilitation and transparency in government procurement. We are overjoyed with the postponement of the negotiations on these issues. - Moralists do not make great diplomats
The Financial Express, November 21, 2001
Indian negotiators should be devoting much more time to developing strong common positions with other countries where their interests overlap. Moralists do not make great diplomats, and in seeking to identify and woo coalition members, India needs to have a clear idea of where interests do and do not overlap. - Win some, lose some, at trade talks
The Financial Express, November 20, 2001
Whether India won or lost at Doha is the hot topic of discussion these days. India neither won nor lost; it bargained hard — and with fair amount of success — to minimise the losses and maximise the gains.