India calls for WTO-centred, fair trade order at SCO meeting

Additional secretary Amitabh Kumar, representing commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, underlined the need for an ‘open, fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory multinational trading system with the WTO at its core’.

India has reaffirmed its commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, while urging closer economic cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members to build resilient and diversified supply chains, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

At the SCO Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Russia's Vladivostok on 6 September, additional secretary Amitabh Kumar, representing commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, underlined the need for an “open, fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory multinational trading system with the WTO at its core”, the ministry said.

Kumar said a development-focused WTO agenda must include a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security, effective special treatment for developing countries, and the restoration of a fully functional two-tier dispute settlement system. He also highlighted the potential of services trade and the temporary movement of skilled professionals to drive growth and expand the participation of medium, small and micro enterprises in global value chains.

Calling for diversification and de-risking of supply networks, India also emphasized on interoperable logistics, predictable market access, and improved connectivity while warning against the misuse of export controls to create artificial scarcity or disrupt markets at the SCO meeting.

“India cautioned that export-related measures should not be weaponized or misused to create artificial scarcity, distort markets, or disrupt supply chains, and emphasized that their calibrated and transparent use is essential to maintain trust in international commerce,” the commerce ministry said.

At the event, India showcased its homegrown digital public infrastructure, from unified payments interface (UPI) and India Stack to Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), as low-cost, replicable models for secure, innovation-led digitalization. It also proposed SCO cooperation on fair and predictable e-commerce frameworks and capacity-building for member states.

India also highlighted its Mission LiFE initiative, underscoring that climate action must rest on equity, finance, and affordable technology transfer, cautioning that trade-linked climate measures should not become tools of discrimination.

The country also spotlighted the animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics (AVGC) sector as a new driver of growth, citing the success of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) and new initiatives like Waves Bazaar and WaveX to foster global collaboration and creative entrepreneurship.

“Through the India Cine Hub, supported by simplified regulatory frameworks and 17 co-production agreements already in place, India is positioning itself as a global film production hub,” the statement added.

Source: Live Mint