Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday held a “productive discussion” with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the early conclusion of a mutually beneficial interim trade agreement between India and the US.
Goyal met Greer on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers’ meeting in Milwaukee.
The meeting came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation to review progress in bilateral cooperation across trade, defence, energy, critical technologies and other areas of mutual interest.
“Had a productive discussion with USTR Greer towards early conclusion of a mutually beneficial interim agreement under the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement,” Goyal said in a post on X.
Goyal said he also exchanged views with Greer on the G20 deliberations under the US presidency of the grouping.
India and the US had in February announced the finalisation of the framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA). However, changes in the US tariff landscape have led to further negotiations on the pact.
Goyal had on September 24 said that the trade pact between India and the US was “done and dusted” and would be executed once the United States provides India with the right competitive advantage over its competitors in the American market.
India’s competitors in the US market include ASEAN countries, China and Bangladesh.
-PTI
