인도·남아시아

ndia’s recent rush to sign free trade agreements with major trading partners raises questions about their impact on mutual trade orientation and the role of the state. The FTAs with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United Arab Emirates, despite steep tariff cuts, have not significantly improved mutual trade orientation, except for an increased import intensity from ASEAN. Proactive role of the state would be crucial to facilitate advantageous participation in global value chains. Deep integration and privatisation of governance may adversely affect public interests. The natural rubber industry in India illustrates how the state–GVC nexus can be detrimental to participants in the upper nodes of GVCs, serving the interests of monopoly capital at the expense of unorganised petty commodity producers and labourers.