India, July 26 -- Forty-two months after India and the UK opened negotiations on a trade deal, the two countries signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Thursday, dismantling significant tariff and non-tariff barriers for trade. The deal is a hard-won one, considering the long-drawn-out negotiations between the two sides. Given it seems balanced and beneficial from the vantage points of both countries, it has been worth the wait. CETA gives India deeper and wider access to the world's sixth-largest economy, while the UK can tap into India's mammoth market. The deal targets to double bilateral trade in the next five years - up from $57.8 billion in 2024 to around $112 billion by 2030. To that end, CETA gives India duty-free access for 99% of its merchandise exports to the UK - up from zero or near-zero duties for 65%. There will also be duty cuts on 90% of Indian tariff lines for imports from the UK - with a commitment to phase out duties entirely for 85% of the goods in the next 10 years. While freer bilateral trade is in the offing, Indian negotiators have done well to protect and further Indian interests in key sectors; holding up its red lines on agriculture - dairy, apples, oats, among others - protects Indian farmers, who would have had to otherwise compete with cheap imports from the UK in the domestic market. This is significant given how important the farm sector is for India - one of the reasons for India refusing to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership was the anticipated fallout for the domestic farm sector, especially dairy. This is complemented by the unshackling of labour-intensive Indian exports such as textiles, footwear, processed and non-processed food items, including marine products, from UK tariffs, with the companies involved typically being small and medium enterprises (SMEs) . This has also been done for UK's exports in sectors such as medical devices, automobiles, aerospace, and liquor (Scotch whisky and gin), pulling India's average tariffs on UK products down to 3% from the pre-CETA 15%. The mobility concessions within the Double Contribution Convention that should benefit Indian IT and IT-enabled services, financial and legal services, educational services are significant considering the current climate in the UK towards immigration. The non-tariff wins for India are not small either. CETA has steered away from the UK's earlier insistence on India meeting stringent environmental standards; the agreement instead terms it "inappropriate" for parties to apply their environmental laws, policies or measures in a way that would constitute an "arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination" or "disguised restriction" on trade or investment. A similar approach has been adopted regarding labour standards, when it comes to non-tariff protectionist measures. The deal also provides for the easing of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, which could lead to rejections of Indian products by UK authorities. Beyond all this, the real gain from CETA is the signal it sends to the world. At a time when the consensus on global trade governance is crumbling, the deal can be a template for India's ongoing negotiations with other advanced economies such as the US and the EU. CETA shows India will not be forced into accepting deals that undermine its interests or skew heavily on the side of the developed country/bloc partner. The UK deal could also impact India's existing trade deals and set the tone in negotiations with Asean members, Japan, and South Korea. The deal is a win-win for trade as bilaterals displace plurilateral trade governance....