As global trade is increasingly shaped by strategic competition, supply chain realignments, and the search for resilient partnerships, India’s external economic engagement is entering a phase of heightened significance. Against this backdrop, the conclusion of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) underscores the growing importance of policy choices in trade, technology, investment, and economic security—choices that will shape not only India’s growth trajectory but also its role in the evolving global order.

The Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), in partnership with Koan Advisory Group, convened a closed-door roundtable on 6th April 2026 at The Oberoi, New Delhi. The discussion focused on how India should navigate economic engagement in an increasingly fragmented global landscape.

Titled “Resilience in a Fragmenting World: India’s Economic Relations with Great Powers,” the roundtable brought together senior representatives from government, industry, and civil society for a candid and forward-looking exchange. Discussions centred on India’s evolving economic relationships with the United States and China, as well as the broader implications of shifts in global trade governance.

The deliberations were structured around four key themes: (i) ecosystems and people-to-people linkages; (ii) ease of doing business and regulatory coherence; (iii) sovereignty and national security; and (iv) the future of trade governance in the post-MC14 landscape.