Following last month’s BRICS New Delhi Declaration, India submitted a paper to WTO signaling a willingness to engage in discussions on plurilateral—'coalition of the willing’—agreements. Until now, New Delhi maintained a rigid stance, refusing to negotiate, or even discuss plurilaterals on the grounds that it lacked an explicit mandate to initiate them. Instead, India relied heavily on the letter and spirit of consensus-based decision-making at WTO to assert its legal position.
Reactions to India’s submission have been mixed. International partners have been largely sceptical. Optimists view it as a vital opening for constructive dialogue. Pessimists contend that the submission merely repackages New Delhi’s long-standing opposition, serving as a tactical ploy to scuttle progress by insisting on consensus before any discussion can begin.
