India cautions SCO against misuse of export measures

India has cautioned against weaponising export-related measures or misusing them to create artificial scarcity, distort markets or disrupt supply chains at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the government said Sunday.

New Delhi made this statement at the SCO trade ministers' meeting in Vladivostok, Russia on September 6 and emphasised that calibrated and transparent use of these steps is essential to maintain trust in international commerce.

Underlining the need for an open, fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, India highlighted the importance of a development-centred agenda that includes a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security purposes, effective special & differential treatment for developing countries and restoration of a fully functional two-tier WTO dispute settlement system.

With the SCO accounting for 42% of the world's population and 17.2% of global trade, India emphasised the importance of coordinated action to enhance trade flows, address vulnerabilities and support inclusive growth across the region.

"India stressed the importance of diversifying and de-risking supply and production chains through geographical spread, interoperable logistics, predictable market access and enhanced connectivity, while upholding principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity," the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement. It noted that persistent trade imbalances must be addressed through better market access, cooperation on standards and streamlined trade facilitation.

Representing India, Amitabh Kumar, additional secretary, Department of Commerce, also warned that trade-linked climate measures should not result in arbitrary or unjustified discrimination but be supported by finance and affordable technology flows.

"He also underlined the role of services trade and the temporary movement of skilled professionals, in line with national laws and transparency, to support greater participation of MSMEs in global value chains," the ministry said.

On the digital economy, India proposed SCO workstreams focused on fair, transparent and predictable regulatory frameworks, voluntary cooperation on best practices and capacity-building for secure, innovation-led digitalisation. It also spotlighted the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector as an engine of employment, exports and inclusive growth..