CRIT Centres Key to Safeguarding India’s Trade Interests: Commerce Secretary

The Centre for Research on International Trade (CRIT) Centres are playing a crucial role in strengthening India’s capacity to safeguard its strategic trade and investment interests, said Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal at the 8th Anniversary Celebration of the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL). The event was held at the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library, Teen Murthi House, New Delhi, and brought together senior officials, jurists, academicians, and students.

CRIT Centres: Building Confidential and In-House Expertise

Shri Barthwal, Guest of Honour, emphasized that the creation of CRIT Centres such as CTIL was vital to ensure that India develops its own confidential, in-house expertise in trade negotiations, dispute settlement, and rule-making. He noted that in a global environment where trade policy has direct implications for economic growth and sovereignty, it was important for India to build self-reliant institutional capacity.

“These Centres are deeply enmeshed with India’s national interests. They help us protect confidentiality in trade talks while ensuring India builds long-term, sustainable capacity in global trade law,” said Shri Barthwal.

Role of Lawyers and Think Tanks in Statecraft

Delivering the Chief Guest’s Address, Dr. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, former Chief Justice of India, underscored the role of lawyers, research institutions, and think tanks in strengthening state capacity. He observed that trade and investment law are now central to statecraft, influencing economic diplomacy and global positioning.

Justice Chandrachud commended CTIL’s capacity-building initiatives, such as TradeLab, which provide experiential learning opportunities to young lawyers and students, and recommended their expansion to other law schools across India. He noted that such initiatives are already yielding results in trade negotiations and dispute settlement.

Contributions of CTIL

Professor James J. Nedumpara, Head of CTIL, presented an overview of the Centre’s activities and achievements since its inception. CTIL’s contributions include:

• Providing timely legal analysis and advice to the Department of Commerce and other Ministries.

• Supporting India in trade negotiations, legislative drafting, rule-making, and dispute settlement.

• Engaging in academic collaborations, research projects, and capacity-building programmes with national and international institutions.

He highlighted how CTIL has emerged as a bridge between government and academia, producing research that directly informs policymaking.

Academic and Institutional Participation

The celebration was enriched by the Vice-Chancellor’s Address from Dr. Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, who emphasized the importance of linking academic research with policy formulation in trade and investment law.

The event was attended by Shri Satya Srinivas, Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, senior government officials, prominent lawyers, and a large number of law students, reflecting the Centre’s growing influence in shaping trade law education and practice in India.

Publications Launched on the Occasion

Marking its 8th anniversary, CTIL released two important publications:

1. CTIL Annual Magazine 2025, themed “Reimagining International Economic Law: Reform, Resilience, Rebuild”, which captures emerging global trade challenges and policy innovations.

2. Book Launch: “Bespoke Treaties or Standard Models? – A Study of International Investment Treaty Provisions of India’s Key Trade Partners”, published by LexisNexis, providing critical insights into the evolving architecture of India’s investment treaties.

Strengthening India’s Trade Capacity for the Future

The event highlighted how CTIL and CRIT Centres are strengthening India’s institutional ability to engage effectively in the global trade arena, particularly in an era of intensifying trade disputes, investment negotiations, and reforms in multilateral institutions like the WTO.

Speakers emphasized that going forward, India’s trade strategy must be data-driven, legally robust, and aligned with long-term national interests, for which CRIT Centres will remain central pillars.