Explore Business Standard
Trade Talks
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Brussels this week for talks with his EU counterpart on the proposed trade pact, for which negotiations are in the last phase, an official said. During the two-day visit on January 8-9, Goyal will meet the Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade of the European Union, Maros Sefcovic. The minister will leave tomorrow night, the official said. On January 7, the minister will first visit Liechtenstein to hold talks on ways to boost trade and investments between the two countries. Liechtenstein is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). India and EFTA implemented a free trade agreement on October 1, 2025. EFTA members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Goyal's Brussels visit comes at a crucial stage in the ongoing India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, as both sides intensify efforts to conclude a comprehensive, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade agreement at
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday began a six-day visit to France and Luxembourg to hold talks on bilateral and global issues of mutual interests. In Paris, he will be meeting the French leadership and will hold talks with Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Jaishankar's visit to France comes against the backdrop of growing global concerns over the US capturing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a military operation. The MEA said Jaishankar and Barrot will discuss the progress made under the India-France strategic partnership and matters of global importance. The two ministers are also expected to prepare ground for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India next month to participate in the AI Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had co-chaired the AI Summit along with Macron in Paris last February. The external affairs minister will also address the 31st edition of the French Ambassadors'
As many as 300 products, including that of engineering goods, pharma, agri, and chemicals, hold huge potential for Indian exporters to push their shipments to Russia as the two countries target USD 100 billion trade by 2030, an official said. At present, India's exports of these goods to Russia stood at USD 1.7 billion, as against Russia's USD 37.4 billion in imports. "This stark disparity demonstrates the substantial complementary export space India can target," the official said, adding increasing exports will also help India bridge its trade deficit with Russia, which stood at USD 59 billion. These high-potential products have been selected by the commerce ministry by analysing complementary basket of products -- mapping India's supply visa-a-vis Russia's demand across key sectors, the official added. The most promising areas mirror India's rising global strengths are engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and agriculture, all of which correspond to substantial unmet dema
A delegation led by Deputy US Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer will meet his Indian counterpart Rajesh Agarwal on the proposed bilateral trade agreement here this week, official sources said. The USA's chief negotiator for the pact, Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, will hold discussions with India's chief negotiator and Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain. "A delegation from the office of the US Trade Representative, led by Deputy US Trade Representative Ambassador Rick Switzer, will be visiting India from December 9-11, 2025. Talks on 10th and 11th will happen on all trade-related issues," they said. The visit is crucial as India and the US are working to finalise the first tranche of the pact. This visit of the US officials marks their second trip since the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff and an additional 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods entering the American market due to the purchase of Russian crud