Piyush Goyal meets US Trade representative: 'Approach will be guided by India First'

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. (Image: X/@PiyushGoyal)

As Donald Trump waged a tariff war, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held a discussion with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on a mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement.

Sharing a photo of the meeting on X, Goyal said, "Had a forward looking discussion with
Jamieson Greer on a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement. Our approach will be guided by 'India First', 'Viksit Bharat' and our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."

Had a forward looking discussion with @USTradeRep Jamieson Greer on a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement.Our approach will be guided by India First, Viksit Bharat and our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. pic.twitter.com/0KKyWALEP7
Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 14, 2025

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal was in the US last week. His visit to the US followed US President Donald Trump and PM Modi's plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025, ANI reported.

The two leaders had committed to designating senior representatives to advance these negotiations.

During Trump-Modi meeting, the two leaders resolved to expand trade and investment to make their citizens more prosperous, nations stronger, economies more innovative, and supply chains more resilient.

They resolved to deepen the US-India trade relationship to promote growth that ensures fairness, national security and job creation. To this end, the leaders set a bold new goal for bilateral trade - "Mission 500" - aiming to more than double total bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, ANI reported.

Tariff war

Since assuming office for his second term, President Trump has reiterated his stance on tariff reciprocity, emphasising that the United States will match tariffs imposed by other countries, including India, Mexico, Canada and Canada, to ensure fair trade.

Trump has on various occasions said India has some of the highest tariffs in the world and that this will require a rethink.

(With inputs from ANI)