Andhra Pradesh intensified its international investment outreach by establishing ‘APEX Korea’ in Busan, its first permanent overseas facilitation centre, where state representatives invited Korean firms to invest in the proposed ₹30,000 crore Dugarajapatnam Shipbuilding Cluster and finalized a ₹900 crore investment commitment from Hwaseung Group for a non-leather footwear manufacturing plant in Kuppam capable of producing 20 million pairs annually. Addressing broader macro-economic shifts, India and ASEAN trade negotiators accelerated reviews of the AITIGA framework to tackle India’s expanding trade deficit with the bloc, which exceeded $50 billion in 2025 as imports rose to $87.16 billion against $33.77 billion in exports, with trade experts emphasizing export competitiveness over import restrictions given the high volume of raw material imports used in domestic manufacturing. Finally, to optimize pharmaceutical trade and logistics infrastructure, the Union Health Ministry amended Rule 43A of the Drugs Rules, 1945, officially designating the newly inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport as a notified port of entry for drug imports, bringing India’s total number of authorized drug import entry points across air, sea, road, and rail to 42.