India: International Trade & Investment

The Central government continued the imposition of anti-dumping duty on the imports of Phthalic Anhydride from China and Korea subsequent to a sunset review investigation initiated on 27th January 2026 via No. 7/26/2025-DGTR. The anti-dumping duty on the product under consideration was originally imposed vide Notification No. 43/2021 -Customs (ADD) dated 9th August 2021. The anti-dumping duty imposed shall be in the range of USD 40.08 per MT to USD 140.17 per MT and shall remain in force for a further period of five years, that is, until 4th August 2031.

India's trade-remedy framework is experiencing a significant shift as the Ministry of Finance increasingly declines to impose anti-dumping duties despite affirmative findings by the investigating authority. What factors are driving this departure from decades of consistent implementation, and what are the implications for domestic manufacturers and India's broader industrial policy?

The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which entered into force on 15 July 2026, is often discussed in terms of tariff cuts on goods, but for India's professional services sector, the more consequential provisions lie elsewhere. CETA opens structured, rules-based mobility pathways for IT professionals, consultants, engineers, architects, financial services specialists, and other skilled workers moving between India and the UK. For firms in these sectors, understanding the agreement's mobility framework is now essential to competitive strategy.