Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether India plans to host counter-radicalisation conference with the ASEAN;
(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
(c) the details of benefits accrued to India in the last three years due to ASEAN in terms of trade and commerce?
THE MINISTER FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRIMATI SUSHMA SWARAJ)
(a) to (c) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
*****
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 443 REGARDING “ASEAN” FOR ANSWER ON 05.04.2017
(a) & (b) Yes, India plans to host a conference on counter-radicalisation this year. ASEAN member states would be invited to participate in the Conference.
(c) ASEAN is one of our leading trading partners, accounting for over 10% of our trade. The ASEAN-India Agreement for Trade in Services and the ASEAN-India Agreement on Investment were both signed in 2014 and entered into force on 1 July 2015, supplementing the existing ASEAN-India Agreement on Trade in Goods. These have set the stage for further strengthening of economic and commercial relations between ASEAN and India. FDI equity inflows from ASEAN have increased in the last three years with inflows from April 2014 to December 2016 amounting to US$28 billion (?1,81,797 crores approximately), which is more than the cumulative inflows received from ASEAN between April 2000 and March 2014. For the period April 2016 – December 2016, FDI inflows from ASEAN comprised over 20% of total FDI equity inflows into India.