India pushes back on China's investment plan at WTO
India has said "no thanks" to a new investment proposal led by China at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The plan, called Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD), aims to create binding rules and set up a pre-investment review system.
India argues this doesn't fit with what the WTO is actually meant to do—focus on trade, not investment rules.
Why does it matter?
India's main worry is that adopting this proposal without everyone agreeing could break up how the WTO usually works—by consensus.
If only some countries push it through, it could sideline developing nations and their concerns.
India also called out the WTO Secretariat for getting involved in talks without proper approval, saying it diverts negotiating capital to areas without a multilateral mandate.
With big decisions coming up at the next ministerial meet in 2026, this debate highlights deeper tensions over who gets a say in global trade rules.