ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the prospects and challenges of realizing India’s interests in services through its comprehensive regional integration efforts in the Asian region. It outlines the status of services in India and its existing and prospective free trade agreement (FTA) partner countries in Asia, in terms of the sector’s contribution to value-added, trade, important sub-sectoral features and trends within the services sector, and bilateral relations in services. The chapter highlights the complementarities and overlaps in services between India and these countries and identifies potential areas of interest and concerns on both sides. It examines the state of play in India’s FTA negotiations with respect to services, including the status of commitments by India and its partner countries under various negotiated agreements and the implications for market access and other envisaged benefits in services and investment. The chapter discusses the actual progress till date in realizing market access and gains in services, the outcomes experienced, and the outlook for prospective agreements.
