Q.Describe the direction of India's foreign trade and the major trends observed in recent decades.

India's traditional trade partners include England and Russia — option (a).

The direction of trade shows the countries with which India trades. India's traditional trade partners — those with whom it has had long-established commercial relations — include England (UK) and Russia (erstwhile USSR), along with the USA. Trade with Japan, China, Central Asian countries and Australia has grown more recently and forms part of India's changing/new trade direction rather than its traditional base.

Direction of international trade refers to the countries to which a nation exports and from which it imports — the geographical spread of its trade.

While the composition of trade tells us what goods and services a country exports and imports, the direction of trade tells us with whom — that is, the countries and regions that are the destinations of its exports and the sources of its imports. Studying direction shows how a country's trade partners have changed over time (for example, India's shift toward Asian, Gulf and North American partners), which affects its economic and political relations.

Direction of trade = the countries/regions a nation trades with (destinations of exports and sources of imports).

In foreign trade, composition tells us what goods are traded, whereas the direction of international trade tells us with whom a country trades — the countries and regions that are the destinations of its exports and the sources of its imports. Studying direction shows how a country's trade is spread across different partner nations and how that pattern changes over time.