India deepens trade engagement with Latin America

The 9^th round of India–Peru Trade Agreement negotiations was held in Lima, Peru, recently. The discussions witnessed substantive progress across key chapters of the proposed agreement including trade in goods and services, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, customs procedures, dispute settlement, and critical minerals.

The closing ceremony was attended by Teresa Gómez, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru, and César Silva, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, along with senior officials. The Indian side was represented by Vishvas Sapkal, ambassador of India to Peru and the Indian delegation led by Vimal Anand, joint secretary and chief negotiator.

Gómez reaffirmed Peru’s commitment to concluding negotiations swiftly, emphasising economic complementarity and optimism for stronger trade and investment. Sapkal highlighted India’s growth and said the agreement would boost cooperation in critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, textiles, and food processing. Both sides agreed to hold intersessional meetings to address pending issues ahead of the next round of negotiations proposed to be held in New Delhi in January 2026, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a press release.

Earlier, the 3^rd round of India–Chile Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations was held in Santiago, Chile, from October 27-30, 2025.  Discussions covered a wide range of chapters including trade in goods and services, investment promotion, rules of origin, Intellectual Property Rights, TBT/ SPS measures, economic cooperation and critical minerals. Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to an early and time-bound conclusion of the CEPA negotiations, which aim to enhance market access, strengthen supply chain resilience and deepen economic integration.

India’s growing trade engagement with Peru and Chile reflects its strategic focus on building stronger partnerships with the Latin American region through mutually beneficial and comprehensive economic cooperation frameworks.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (RR)