Thailand is urging expedited negotiations on the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to enhance market access and eliminate trade barriers, aiming to capitalize on growing bilateral trade with India. The call was made during a recent Special Asean Economic Ministers Meeting, with Thailand’s Deputy Commerce Minister stressing the need for faster progress, despite current negotiation completion standing at only 40%.
The AITIGA review focuses on several key legal and trade areas, including customs procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, and support for MSMEs—all of which are expected to improve transparency, fairness, and regional trade integration. From a legal standpoint, updates to the agreement could also impact rules of origin, tariff concessions, and non-tariff measures, requiring Thai exporters and legal counsel to reassess compliance strategies.
If concluded as anticipated by the end of the year, the revised agreement is expected to directly benefit Thai exporters in key sectors such as agriculture, machinery, electrical appliances, and gems and jewellery. As trade between Thailand and India continues to grow—with Thai exports rising over 16% in 2024 and 31.9% in H1 2025—legal and regulatory alignment under an updated AITIGA framework will be critical to sustaining this upward trend.
Businesses and lawyers should closely monitor developments, as the revised agreement could bring about new trade facilitation measures, reduce regulatory burdens, and create enhanced legal certainty for cross-border transactions within the Asean-India corridor.