Even the aussies are not having a trade agreement with these ah nehs..
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-...nbull-india-australia-trade-talks-end/8441420
[h=1]India trade deal may not be possible, Malcolm Turnbull concedes[/h] By South Asia correspondent
James Bennett
Updated 13 Apr 2017, 5:44amThu 13 Apr 2017, 5:44am
Photo: Malcolm Turnbull is returning from his trip to India, where he talked trade with counterpart Narendra Modi. (AP: Manish Swarup)
Related Story: New trade deal with India could be years away: Turnbull
Map: India
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said it might not be possible to reach a free trade deal with India, despite
he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attempts to revive talks.
Mr Turnbull, who arrives back in Australia this morning from India, had been talking up the significance of a joint prime ministerial commitment to re-assess the deal as one of the key outcomes from his visit.
But, before leaving, he told the ABC a deal might not eventuate.
"It may be that the conclusion will be reached that the parties are too far apart to enable a deal to be reached at this time," Mr Turnbull told AM.
"The fact is that the Indian offers have not been adequate to date."
[h=2]
What does India want?[/h]
As it attempts economic transformation, India needs everything from infrastructure to energy and education, but more than any material demands, what India wants is recognition.
Mr Turnbull said the deal's future prospects would depend on whether each side was prepared to give ground on critical issues like tariff reduction and worker access.
"It has got to be a deal worth doing," said Mr Turnbull, cautioning that he and Mr Modi's desire to resuscitate the stalled process may not be able to overcome opposition to lowering protection.
"The traditions of protectionism in India run very deep.
"Now Mr Modi is changing that, but obviously these changes tend to have a period of evolution."
[h=2]Australia should aim higher than $20 billion trade with India[/h]Meanwhile, Australia has resisted India's push for it to relax some immigration restrictions — including on 457 visas — which would allow greater numbers of Indians to work in Australia.
Mr Turnbull refused to be drawn on what had prompted his predecessor Tony Abbott to say in late 2014 a deal could be completed by the end of 2015.
"You'd have to ask him that," said Mr Turnbull, who added that he did not want get into a "blame game".
Talks have been at a virtual standstill since Mr Abbott's deadline passed.
Australia has turned its attention to a trade deal with Indonesia instead, while India has focused on the Chinese-led Asian alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
During his visit, Mr Turnbull told business leaders Australia and India's $20 billion two-way trade was "a fraction of what we should aspire to, given the many points of intersection between our economies".
Last night, the Prime Minister said he was confident that figure would grow, with or without a formal trade deal.
"We have a great trade relationship ... and it will grow whether or not there is a free trade agreement, but it would obviously be enhanced if there was," Mr Turnbull said.
The Prime Minister's office said no timeframe had been set for the process of working out where each side stood, but the Prime Minister had asked the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to deal with the issue "urgently".
Topics: trade,
federal-government,
india,
australia
First posted 13 Apr 2017, 3:35amThu 13 Apr 2017, 3:35am
