Agreements on Reciprocal Trade:
The US administration has aggressively pursued “Agreements on Reciprocal Trade” (ARTs) with developing nations such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, Cambodia, and El Salvador, alongside an interim framework with India.Negotiated under the threat of sweeping punitive tariffs, these ARTs mark a fundamental departure from the rules-based multilateralism of the World Trade Organization (WTO).For developing countries, this shift from “fair-play” global rules to “power-based” bilateral negotiations carries profound economic, strategic, and legal implications.US-led Agreements on Reciprocal Trade (ARTs) bypass WTO rules, weakening MFN principles, dispute settlement, and collective bargaining, thereby exposing developing countries to coercive market access, digital sovereignty risks, and fragmented global trade.India is strengthening FTAs, supply chain resilience, and Global South cooperation while protecting digital sovereignty and advocating WTO reforms to preserve a rules-based, inclusive multilateral trading system.
