Goyal Slams Congress: 'Grave Mistake' Pushing China FTA, Failed Japan-Korea Deals

• Union Minister Piyush Goyal accused Congress of endangering India's economic interests by advocating for free trade agreements involving China.
• Goyal criticized Congress for pushing India's entry into RCEP, calling it a "grave mistake" that would have effectively been an FTA with China.
• He highlighted that the UPA government signed "poor" FTAs with Japan and South Korea, which failed to boost Indian exports while imports from those countries doubled.
• Goyal contrasted these with the recently concluded India-EU FTA, which he described as a balanced deal ensuring 99% of Indian exports attract zero duty.
• The minister stated the current government prioritizes safeguarding domestic interests and avoids FTAs with countries that directly compete or have significantly lower labor costs.

Why It Matters: Piyush Goyal criticized Congress's past trade policies, citing a 'grave mistake' with China FTA and failed deals with Japan and Korea.