What are the benefits of APEC membership for India?
Joining APEC will bring various benefits to India. This will foster closer economic ties, facilitate trade and investment flows, and provide market access to key countries. Collaboration with APEC will simplify and harmonize trade procedures and regulations, increasing India's exports. It can also help attract foreign direct investment and support domestic initiatives such as Make in India.
Its membership will enable india to adopt best practices, streamline business processes and reduce transaction costs. india can learn from APEC's highly unilateral approach, where member countries voluntarily propose trade liberalization measures without formal negotiations.
At the same time, membership of this forum can also facilitate technology transfer to india in key sectors such as information technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, renewable energy and manufacturing. Access to new technologies will improve India's competitiveness and productivity while facilitating the exchange of ideas and capacity building among APEC members.
India's membership would also benefit APEC members by improving access to India's workforce, expanding its consumer market and creating more investment opportunities. In return, india will have easier access to APEC's resources and capabilities, including the influential APEC Trade Advisory Council. As a developing country, india can also participate in discussions on issues related to its development interests, such as automation, MSMEs, and women's economic participation.