Congress slams Goyal's 'B-team' ASEAN remark

New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Friday hit out at Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for his remarks against the India-ASEAN trade agreements, and said labelling these counties as "B team of China" is "irresponsible and insulting".

"Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's statement belittling India ASEAN Trade Agreements is unwarranted, ill advised and unfortunate. India and ASEAN group of countries are for over three decades engaged in a multi-faceted relationship which is mutually rewarding and important," he said in a statement.

"This is an integral part of the Look East policy to deepen and diversify India's relations with a region that is economically vibrant and of enormous Geo-Strategic importance for engagement with the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Sharma, a former commerce minister, said successive Indian governments have consciously pursued this policy and elevated India-ASEAN relations to a strategic partnership.

He said India is also a member of East Asia Summit (EAS) of ASEAN + six (Japan, India, South Korea, China, Australia and New Zealand) and Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are strategic partner countries.

"Piyush Goyal's statement terming the Trade agreement with ASEAN as silly and labelling these counties as B team of China is irresponsible and insulting. He has forgotten that President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto was the chief guest for 2025 Republic Day Parade," Sharma said.

Speaking at the India Global Forum (IGF) session on UK-India Science, Technology and Innovation Collaboration at the Science Museum in London, Goyal said, "There was a point of time 15 years ago when we were more focused on doing FTAs with countries who were our competitors. So if I am doing an ASEAN agreement, it really is silly because (that is) opening up my market to my competitors, many of whom have now become the B team of China".

"So effectively and indirectly, I have opened up my market for goods that find their way from China into India," the Commerce minister has said.

Sharma said the CECA (Comprehensive Economic cooperation agreement) with ASEAN and trade agreements with Japan and South Korea are aimed at promoting investments and trade in goods and services.

"The agreements were diligently negotiated considering India's interests with this vibrant region. There are inbuilt checks and review mechanisms inbuilt in all trade agreements that India has signed.

"Trade in goods with ASEAN counties also includes essential imports: Iron ore and coal from Indonesia, palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia, oil - petroleum products from Brunei Dares Salam and Malaysia and pulses from Mayanmar.

"Piyush Goyal needs to be reminded of the fundamental rule of trade: 'No country can export what it does not produce nor imports what it does not need'," the senior Congress leader said.

Sharma said ASEAN is India's fourth largest trading partner accounting for over 11 percent of India's total global trade with bilateral trade at 120 billion USD and accounts for over 11 percent of India's Exports. FDI inflows from ASEAN to India account for over 18 percent of total FDI inflows since 2000, he noted.

"In an interconnected and interdependent world partnerships are the way forward and not exclusion and isolation. The commerce minister should be prioritising strengthening trade relations with partner countries and not insulting them while bending backwards to negotiate a suboptimal trade agreement with USA on its terms," Sharma said.

Goyal, who is currently in the UK for talks ahead of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement signing, has said that India is in trade dialogues with countries with whom it doesn't compete but can complement the economies involved.