
India puts national interests first in US trade talks
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said that India’s trade talks with the United States will be guided by the principles of “India First,” “Viksit Bharat,” and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.
Goyal stated that he had a “forward-looking discussion” with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). “Our approach will be guided by ‘India First,’ ‘Viksit Bharat,’ and our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Goyal posted on X, sharing a photo from his meeting with Greer.
Goyal had previously met Greer and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during his visit to the US last week. These meetings followed discussions between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about negotiating the first phase of a multi-sector BTA by the fall of 2025.
The two leaders have set an ambitious target to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 under the initiative called “Mission 500.” This goal aims to strengthen the US-India trade relationship, ensuring fairness, national security, and job creation.
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick recently expressed his desire to negotiate a broad-based trade agreement with India, focusing on the overall trade relationship rather than individual products.
Meanwhile, the Indian government has clarified that no commitments have been made to reduce tariffs on US imports.
Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs that negotiations between India and the US are ongoing and that no trade agreement has been finalized.
“One cannot go by the US President’s claims or media reports. The bilateral trade agreement talks are still in progress. India has not committed to any tariff reductions for the US,” Barthwal said.
He emphasized that India’s interests remain a top priority during the negotiations.
“India is open to increasing trade with the US but will not lower tariffs indiscriminately, especially in sectors crucial to the domestic economy,” Barthwal added. He also noted that India prefers bilateral tariff negotiations rather than multilateral agreements to protect its national interests.
Trump’s “America First” policy has previously raised concerns about disruptions to global trade, as the US President has accused trading partners of unfair practices and threatened punitive tariffs. Trump has claimed that India imposes massive tariffs on US goods.