Background

The global economy is experiencing profound structural shifts driven by technological progress, evolving trade and investment patterns, and the reorganization of production networks. These transformations are redefining opportunities for developing regions and highlighting the need for renewed strategies to foster productive transformation, growth and sustainability.

For Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), this new context reinforces the importance of diversifying partnerships and strengthening engagement with emerging economies that combine market scale, technological capacity and policy innovation.

India stands out as an emerging partner in this effort. With a population of over 1.4 billion people and a GDP of about 3.7 trillion dollars, it is the fifth-largest economy in the world and is projected to become the third largest by 2030. Sustained growth above 6 per cent per year over the past decade has been supported by industrial modernization, the expansion of a competitive services sector, and rapid digitalization. The digital economy already represents close to 10 per cent of GDP, supported by advances in fintech, manufacturing and renewable energy.

Economic relations between India and LAC have gained traction in recent years. Bilateral trade is approaching 50 billion dollars, and Indian enterprises have announced over 250 million dollars in foreign direct investment in the region since 2010. Ongoing negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Chile, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Peru, and the intention to expand the India–Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) demonstrate growing mutual interest.

Despite this positive trend, the relationship remains limited in scope and concentrated in a narrow range of goods. Unlocking its full potential requires bridging the knowledge gap that persists regarding India’s economic structure, industrial priorities and market dynamics. Strengthening institutional capacities, policy foresight and business intelligence will be essential to identify complementarities and translate opportunities into sustained cooperation.

Objectives

The main objective is to initiate a high-level strategic dialogue that establishes a foundation for sustained cooperation. Specifically, the seminar aims to:

1. Enhance institutional learning by providing updated insights into India’s development trajectory and policy instruments, enabling more informed policy design.
2. Identify diversification opportunities for LAC economies in sectors where complementarities with India can drive growth and productive transformation.
3. Foster strategic networks among government institutions, private-sector actors and academic institutions to sustain dialogue and cooperation.

Expected outputs

1. Summary and key takeaways, highlighting the principal insights and proposals from the discussions.
2. Strengthened network of practitioners and institutions committed to advancing the India–LAC cooperation agenda in trade, investment and innovation.
3. Input for future cooperation initiatives, contributing to ECLAC’s ongoing analytical and technical work on emerging economies and diversification strategies.

Target Audience

The seminar is designed for public and private decision-makers involved in trade, investment and development policy, including:

• Government officials from ministries of trade, foreign affairs and investment promotion agencies.
• Representatives of chambers of commerce, business associations and export promotion entities.
• Academics and policy researchers specializing in Asia–LAC economic relations and emerging economies.