ASEAN to sign free trade pact with India
Updated
The 10 member Association of Southeast Asian nations will sign a free trade pact with India in December on the sidelines of a regional summit in Bangkok.
ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan says negotiators are now working on finalising the text of the agreement after the final obstacles were removed at talks held in Brunei.
Mr Pitsuwan says negotiatiors agreed on the deal covering billions of dollars in trade but not services.
Free trade talks were supposed to have been wrapped up last year, but bogged down over differences on products which India wanted excluded from tariff cuts.
India is keen to expand trade ties with ASEAN, but also wants to protect sensitive sectors such as agriculture and textiles.
ASEAN aims to create a single market to help battle competition from China and India.
