India Warns Against Weaponizing 'Transparency' in WTO Trade Policies

India cautions WTO members against using 'transparency' as a means for trade retaliation or interference in domestic policies. This stance, emphasized by India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, calls for capacity-building support to ensure fair obligations and criticizes the US for demanding stricter disclosure norms under WTO reforms.

India has raised concerns over the potential misuse of 'transparency' in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a tool for trade retaliation and unwarranted challenges to domestic policies, urging for robust capacity-building support to ensure equitable compliance.

Speaking at the 14th ministerial conference in Yaounde, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal underscored the necessity of a level playing field, asserting that transparency mustn't be exploited to influence domestic policy unfairly.

While supporting WTO reforms, India opposes penalties for notification failures, citing capacity constraints, particularly in developing countries. The nation calls for reforms to be based on strong evidence and cautions against division in the multilateral system through plurilateral agreements.

(With inputs from agencies.)