Pranay Kotasthane quoted in The Week on India’s Free Trade Agreement signing spree

Pranay Kotasthane was quoted in The Week on India’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signing spree. Speaking on the reasons behind the upsurge in India’s trade agreements, Pranay said:

These agreements are as much about geopolitics as they are about good economics. From the perspective of other countries, over-reliance on China is now a risky proposition.

From the Indian perspective, these FTAs are a positive start, and perhaps indicate that India’s atmanirbhar approach is not about self-sufficiency but about integrating into global supply chains. China’s geopolitical mistakes have presented India another opportunity.

India’s toughest hurdle would not be China or even negotiators of other countries, but the powerful and entrenched domestic lobbies. Domestic lobbies will want to keep their products out of deals with states having competing suppliers. This approach would require immense and sustained political, intellectual, and administrative [efforts].

You can read the full article here.