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India-UK CETA to boost bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030; engineering, textiles among biggest gainers
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New Delhi: India's Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) with the UK, which takes effect on Wednesday, is expected to propel bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, opening significant opportunities for exporters across engineering goods, textiles and apparel, leather, gems and jewellery, chemicals, marine products and services, the Union commerce ministry said.Describing it as one of India's most ambitious trade pacts, commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said the Ceta sets a "gold standard" owing to its broad sectoral coverage and deep commitments on tariff as well as non-tariff measures. Unlike conventional free trade agreements that primarily focus on tariff liberalization, the India-UK Ceta spans 30 chapters, covering areas such as digital trade, government procurement, innovation, labour, environment and gender, while maintaining safeguards for India's sensitive sectors.Under the agreement, Indian exporters will receive duty-free access for 99.5% of the value of India's exports to the UK, covering 98.8% of tariff lines, effectively eliminating duties across a wide range of labour-intensive and manufacturing sectors. India, in turn, has offered preferential market access covering 89.4% of the value of UK exports, with tariff reductions being phased in for sensitive products. The agreement is expected to substantially improve the competitiveness of Indian exports in one of the world's largest developed markets.Deeper economic engagementThe commerce ministry expects the agreement to significantly deepen economic engagement between the world's fifth and sixth-largest economies. Merchandise trade between India and the UK stood at $25.12 billion in 2025-26, with India's exports at $13.44 billion and imports at $11.68 billion. Bilateral services trade was valued at $35.44 billion in 2024, with India maintaining a services trade surplus of $7.88 billion.Engineering is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the agreement. The UK imports engineering goods worth nearly $193.5 billion annually, while India's exports to the market currently stand at about $4.28 billion, highlighting significant untapped potential. Duty elimination is expected to boost exports of automobiles, auto components, motorcycles, industrial machinery, iron and steel products, aluminium products and engineering equipment while strengthening participation of Indian manufacturers and MSMEs in global value chains. Manufacturing hubs across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana are expected to benefit.The textiles and clothing sector is also poised for a major boost. The agreement removes UK tariffs of up to 12% across 1,143 tariff lines, enhancing India's competitiveness against Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Türkiye. The UK imports textiles and apparel worth around $28.8 billion annually, while India's exports remain relatively modest, leaving substantial room for expansion. Export-oriented clusters in Tiruppur, Surat, Ludhiana, Panipat, Bhadohi and Moradabad are expected to benefit.The agreement also provides immediate duty-free access for leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, chemicals, plastics, rubber products, electrical machinery, marine products and several agricultural exports. Leather and footwear exporters will benefit from the removal of tariffs of up to 16%, while marine exporters will gain from complete duty elimination in a UK seafood market valued at nearly $4.9 billion. The gems and jewellery industry will similarly benefit from the removal of duties of up to 4%, improving India's competitiveness in the UK's premium retail market.Agriculture and processed food exporters are expected to gain wider market access as the UK eliminates tariffs on virtually all agricultural products, barring a limited number of sensitive items. The agreement provides duty-free access on 97.3% of processed food tariff lines, benefiting exports of fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, bakery
Apple has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of improperly obtaining confidential trade secrets as it builds its own AI hardware business, Bloomberg reported.Filed in federal court in San Jose, the complaint centres on allegations that former Apple employees retained access to sensitive company information after leaving and that OpenAI used recruitment efforts to obtain details about Apple's unreleased technologies and products.One of the key allegations involves former Apple engineer Chang Liu. According to the lawsuit, Liu discovered that he could still access Apple's internal file servers after joining OpenAI. Apple claims he did not report the issue and instead joked about it in a message to a former colleague.According to court filings, Liu allegedly wrote to former Apple employee Alyssa Peng: "LOL, I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny."Apple alleges confidential files were accessed after employment endedApple claims Liu left the company with more than his professional experience. The lawsuit alleges that he never returned an Apple-issued MacBook, remained in contact with an Apple employee who continued sharing internal information, and exploited a software bug that allowed him to access Apple's internal storage systems after his employment had ended.According to Bloomberg, Apple alleges Liu downloaded confidential presentations, hardware designs, manufacturing information and testing procedures while already working at OpenAI.The complaint further alleges that Peng responded to Liu's message by saying: "I'm ready."Apple claims Peng later obtained additional internal information using her Apple laptop before resigning and joining OpenAI's hardware division in April.Apple accuses OpenAI of targeting trade secrets through recruitmentApple alleges the company carried out a broader effort to obtain its trade secrets while developing its own consumer hardware products."Significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple’s secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes and products," Apple said in a statement to AFP. “We will always defend our teams’ hard work and innovations, and we are taking all appropriate steps to do so.”According to the lawsuit, the effort extended beyond standard recruitment. Apple alleges that job interviews were sometimes used to gather information about future Apple products and confidential internal projects.Responding to AFP's request for comment on Friday, an OpenAI spokesperson said: "We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere."Former Apple executive Tang Tan also named in complaintThe lawsuit names OpenAI, its hardware subsidiary io Products, and two former Apple employees: Tang Yew Tan, now OpenAI's chief hardware officer, and engineer Chang Liu.Apple alleges Tang Tan, who spent around 25 years at the company overseeing the development of products including the iPhone and Apple Watch, played a significant role in recruiting Apple engineers after leaving in late 2023.Following his departure, Tan joined former Apple design chief Jony Ive, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Evans Hankey and Scott Cannon in launching the AI hardware startup io Products. OpenAI later acquired the company in a deal reportedly worth $6.5 billion.According to the complaint, Tan questioned prospective hires about unreleased Apple projects during interviews and encouraged them to disclose internal information.The lawsuit states: "Then, in the interview, Tan solicited more information about that same Apple project. This has become an established pattern."Partnership between Apple and OpenAI under fresh strainThe legal action marks a sharp escalation in tensions between Apple and OpenAI, which partnered in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into Apple's products.That relationship has since weakened.
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