View: ​​Strong leadership pursuing India’s interests will inevitably trigger criticism

In November 2019, India faced a tough decision of whether to sign up to a giant free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), opening up its market to competitors as varied as China, Australia and Japan. Many would-be policy-shapers called out for India to open up its market for agricultural produce, including dairy, for imports from places as varied as New Zealand, Malaysia and Japan, seeking to impoverish Indian