Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday dismissed the report suggesting that India had refused to sign a rushed interim trade deal with the United States, opting instead to hold out for more favourable terms. He called the report “completely false, baseless and misleading.”
Responding to the report, Piyush Goyal said, “I had fantastic meetings with USTR Jamieson Greer, when he visited Delhi in June.”
Sharing an update on the India-US trade deal, Goyal posted, “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,” he added.
Later in the day, US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, also dismissed the report as “fake news”. “No one has rejected anything. Both sides had very constructive meetings and reaffirmed their commitment to finalizing a trade deal. We continue to stay actively engaged,” Gor posted on X.
According to a report by Reuters, India and the US failed to finalise an interim trade agreement during US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s visit to New Delhi last month, despite expectations from both sides that a limited deal was within reach, as Washington failed to meet New Delhi’s key demands on tariff concessions and assurances against future US levies, with India unwilling to compromise on sensitive sectors such as agriculture.
“Our position is clear – we don’t intend to rush into a deal that is not on favourable terms or compromise on red lines like ceding ground on agriculture,” an official was quoted as saying by the news agency.
We Don’t See Any Challenge: Commerce Secretary
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal on Monday said that the India-US trade deal framework is ready and awaits the right time for signing. There is “no challenge,” the Commerce Secretary said.
“We don’t see any challenge in India-US trade deal negotiations. Consultations are progressing in the right direction, and both sides remain positive. India-US framework trade deal is ready for signing at an appropriate time. Trade ties continue to strengthen, including energy imports from the US,” Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said.
