NEW DELHI — A high-level U.S. delegation is expected to visit India next month for another round of bilateral trade negotiations, though the exact dates have not yet been finalized, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said Friday.
The expected visit would follow a round of meetings held in Washington in April, when Indian Commerce Ministry officials met with their U.S. counterparts to work through details of an interim trade pact. The interim agreement is expected to be signed before the two countries complete a broader bilateral trade agreement.
“We expect the US team to visit soon… maybe next month,” Agrawal told reporters in New Delhi.
He said India remains engaged with the United States on trade issues and that the agreement would be signed at an appropriate time.
U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said Monday that the Trump administration is committed to strengthening trade and investment ties with India.
“We’re committed to expanding opportunities for trade, reducing regulatory barriers, and encouraging Indian businesses to invest in the United States for the benefit of both our countries,” Gor said in a post on X.
Gor previously said investment was flowing back into the United States at record levels under President Donald Trump, with Indian companies planning more than $20.5 billion in investments across sectors including technology, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
“This includes the 12 Indian companies who announced $1.1 billion in investments on May 6. These partnerships are creating real American jobs and building stronger supply chains. Proof that when the world’s largest democracies do business together, everyone wins,” Gor wrote on X last week.
India’s Commerce and Industry Ministry said April 24 that the two sides had made progress on issues including market access, non-tariff measures, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion, economic security alignment and digital trade during the latest negotiations in Washington.
The Indian delegation held talks with U.S. officials from April 20 to April 23.
“The meetings were conducted in a constructive and positive spirit with meaningful and forward-looking discussions enabling progress on key matters. Both sides agreed to remain engaged to maintain this momentum as they move forward,” the ministry said.
India and the United States issued a joint statement Feb. 7 agreeing to a framework for an interim agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade. The framework also reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to negotiations on a broader bilateral trade agreement. (Source: IANS)
