Pressure mounts on India as global trade talks heat up:Dignitaries exchange views on sectors ranging from agriculture to e-commerce

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is currently holding its 14th Ministerial Conference in Cameroon, Central Africa and the pressure is on for India. Global leaders are debating major rules for online shopping, farming, and investments, but countries are finding it very hard to agree. The fight over online tax! One of the biggest arguments is about “e-commerce”—specifically, whether countries should be allowed to tax digital items like e-books or software sent across borders. The U.S. wants a permanent ban on these taxes. India and other developing nations disagree because the governments don’t want to lose tax revenue. Global think tank, GTRI, founder, Ajay Srivastava thinks they might settle on a ‘middle ground’ compromise that lasts for 2 to 4 years during which developing countries will settle with no customs duty on such services. India stands alone on investment rules India is also facing a tough spot regarding a new investment pact called the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD.) According to Srivastava, most other countries that used to oppose it have stepped back, leaving India nearly alone in its resistance. India isn’t necessarily against the investment rules themselves, but they worry that these types of “small group” deals will eventually change how the WTO works for everyone. Farming and fishing deadlocks Talks on farming are also at a risky point. Some groups want to “reset” the negotiations, which could push India’s long-standing demands for food security to the sidelines. Meanwhile, very little progress is expected on rules for fishing subsidies. What happens next? While big breakthroughs seem unlikely right now, the discussions going on will decide the final result. The conference will either end with a small, modest agreement or reveal even deeper cracks in how global trade is managed.