Goyal Dismisses Reuters Report on India-US Trade Talks
Commerce Minister says negotiations remain positive, framework for bilateral trade agreement ready
- Piyush Goyal rejects Reuters report as “false, baseless and misleading”.
- India says framework for bilateral trade agreement with the US is ready.
- Both countries continue negotiations for a balanced and mutually beneficial deal.
- US expected to decide on tariff measures after July 24.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 13th July: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday dismissed as “completely false, baseless and misleading” a Reuters report claiming that India had rejected a quick trade agreement with the United States during the latest round of negotiations.
In a post on X, Goyal said he had “fantastic meetings” with US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer during his visit to New Delhi in June and reaffirmed that both countries remain committed to concluding a balanced and commercially meaningful agreement.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to an agreement that is balanced, commercially meaningful, and delivers tangible benefits for businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers in both countries. Our teams remain fully engaged in achieving this objective,” the minister said.
The clarification came hours after Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal announced that India and the United States have finalised the framework for the proposed bilateral trade agreement, with the pact to be signed at a mutually appropriate time.
Agrawal said negotiations are progressing in the right direction and both sides remain positive about concluding the agreement. He added that there are no major challenges in the ongoing discussions and that trade ties between the two countries continue to strengthen, including energy imports from the United States.
Earlier this month, Goyal had said that most key issues in the negotiations had been resolved and that both countries were working towards an agreement that would provide India with a competitive advantage.
The optimism echoed recent remarks by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who had said the proposed India-US trade agreement was in its “last one or two per cent” of negotiations.
On the issue of tariffs, Agrawal said the decision rests with the US administration. The current 10 per cent tariff regime is scheduled to expire on July 24, after which Washington is expected to announce its next course of action.
