NEW DELHI, India — India’s Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer met on Wednesday to advance negotiations on a proposed bilateral trade agreement between the two countries.
The Commerce Ministry said in a post on X that both sides exchanged views on India–U.S. trade and economic ties, including progress in talks toward a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement.
Switzer arrived in New Delhi with a team of U.S. officials for two days of discussions with their Indian counterparts. Before meeting Commerce Ministry officials, he held talks with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, their discussions covered the strength of the India–U.S. economic and technology partnership, ongoing negotiations, and efforts to expand two-way trade and build resilient supply chains.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said ahead of the meeting that talks with the United States are “continuously progressing” as India moves toward signing a bilateral trade agreement.
Agrawal said last month that India and the United States are “nearing closure” on the first tranche of the proposed agreement. He noted that both sides have held regular virtual rounds and that the first stage of negotiations is moving quickly even without formal deadlines.
U.S. President Donald Trump added momentum in November, saying his conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi were “going great” and suggesting he may visit New Delhi next year. Trump also indicated he intends to “lower tariffs” on India “at some point,” hinting that a breakthrough in talks may be near.
“I think we’re pretty close to doing a deal that’s good for everybody,” Trump said at the swearing-in ceremony for Sergio Gor as the new U.S. Ambassador to India.
India has emphasized that it will not compromise the interests of farmers, the dairy sector, or workers in any trade agreement. New Delhi has also expanded purchases of U.S. oil and gas to help narrow its trade surplus with Washington.
In this context, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently announced that India’s public sector oil companies concluded a one-year structured contract to import about 2.2 million tonnes of LPG from the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2026. The volume represents close to 10 percent of India’s annual LPG imports and marks India’s first structured LPG contract with the United States. Puri described the development as “historic,” noting that one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing LPG markets has now formally opened to U.S. suppliers. (Source: IANS)
