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India and the US have concluded most of the discussions for a proposed bilateral trade pact, and they are now fine-tuning the agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. "We have concluded most of the discussions and are fine-tuning the agreement," he said here while talking about the India-US trade agreement. The minister is here on a two-day official visit. He is accompanying a business delegation. Addressing the India-Netherlands Business Forum here, he said India has concluded nine free trade agreements in the last four and a half years. India and the US, in February, announced finalisation of the framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA). However, changes in the tariff landscape in the US have led to further negotiations on the pact.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Thursday said negotiations for a bilateral trade deal were moving at an "incredible pace", and the "big items are done", underlining that he was confident that both sides will get the pact through. During an interactive session at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum here, Gor also echoed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's assessment of the progress in the proposed India-US trade pact, saying "we are very close to landing it". Asked about the status of the negotiations, Gor said, "I won't like to get into too many details at this stage, and let the ministers announce that. But in the grand scheme of things, big items are done." "We're actively engaged... Within three weeks of arriving here, we announced a trade deal. The European Union trade deal took almost 20 years. So we're at an incredible pace, and I am confident that we will get it done," Gor said. The India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was successfully concluded in January after nearly
Hours after the operationalisation of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a senior British official said the landmark deal will deliver "tangible business outcomes" for both the partner countries. Harjinder Kang, the UK's Trade Commissioner for South Asia and British Deputy High Commissioner to Western India, also hoped that the agreement would eventually lead to a jump in bilateral trade to USD 100 billion from the present USD 60 billion. "'... as of midnight, we are now able to send goods and services between the two countries on the new trading terms that we've agreed," he told PTI videos in an interaction here. Nearly 99 per cent of the goods and services being exported by India to the UK, and 90 per cent of the goods and services imported by the country will now attract lower or zero tariffs, he said, stressing that the deal will benefit consumers in both countries by lowering costs. "'... in effect, there are some very, very good tangible outcomes
India and the US on Wednesday concluded two-day ministerial-level talks on the proposed first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA), a framework for which was announced in February this year. Both sides are looking at finalising the talks before the expiry of the 10 per cent temporary tariffs imposed by the US on all its trading partners on February 24. The tariffs will expire on July 24. The talks were held between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer here. "Concluded a series of meetings with @USTradeRep Ambassador Jamieson Greer and his delegation this morning. We reviewed progress of the ongoing IndiaUS trade discussions and explored avenues to further deepen our economic partnership. "I appreciate Ambassador Greer's leadership and the sustained efforts of both teams in advancing our discussions in a constructive and forward-looking manner," Goyal said in a social media post.
India and the United States opened high-level trade talks on Tuesday aimed at salvaging and recalibrating a proposed bilateral trade agreement after changes in US tariff policy upended a framework negotiated earlier this year. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer here as both sides sought to conclude an interim trade pact before July 24, when Washington's temporary 10 per cent tariff on imports from trading partners is due to expire. "Warm welcome to @USTradeRep Amb Jamieson Greer, @USAmbIndia Amb Sergio Gor and their delegation to @DoC_GoI. Looking forward to productive discussions on the bilateral trade agreement between (India & US)," Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said in a post on X. Greer's two-day visit comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held their first meeting in more than a year on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on June 17, injecting fresh momentum into trade
India and the US are moving towards closing all the open ends of the interim trade agreement, and both sides are likely to execute the "very, very vibrant" first phase of the pact by the middle of next month, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. He said that the US team was in New Delhi from June 2-4 for finalisation of the deal. They held discussions with the Indian team. "I also met with them yesterday, and we are fast moving towards closing all the open ends, and I think sometime by the middle of next month or so, we should be in a position to execute a very, very vibrant first tranche... "It is only the first tranche of our bilateral trade agreement, which will give preferential access to India over our competitors," he told reporters here. He added that a high-level team is expected to visit India towards the end of this month.