India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner with two-way trade in goods and services valued at $46.5 billion in 2022.

India has a population of 1.4 billion people. Its youthful population, diversified economy and growth trajectory present significant opportunity for Australian business, including in education, agriculture, energy, resources, tourism, healthcare, financial services, infrastructure, science and innovation, and sport.

Australia and India first launched negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement in May 2011. There were nine negotiating rounds before both countries decided to suspend negotiations in 2016, pending the outcome of other plurilateral regional agreements.

In September 2021, Australia and India formally re-launched CECA negotiations with the intention of quickly concluding an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) to swiftly liberalise and deepen bilateral trade in goods and services, and to then use this foundation to resume negotiations on the more ambitious CECA.

ECTA was signed on 2 April 2022 and entered into force on 29 December 2022.

Negotiations have now resumed for an ambitious Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), which will build upon ECTA outcomes to capitalise on the potential for closer economic ties between Australia and India.

Submissions are invited from all stakeholders to inform the CECA negotiations. For information on how to make a submission see Australia-India Trade Negotiations - Make a Submission.