New Delhi | May 15, 2025 — As India and the United States continue discussions toward a landmark bilateral trade agreement, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday reiterated that any trade pact must deliver mutual benefit to both nations.
“Any trade deal must be mutually beneficial—it has to work for both countries,” Dr. Jaishankar stated during an interaction with ANI. “That remains our expectation from the ongoing trade negotiations.”
Referring to the complexity of such international trade discussions, Dr. Jaishankar emphasized that no conclusion has been reached yet. “These are complicated negotiations. Nothing is final until everything is finalized. Any judgments at this stage would be premature,” he added.
The comments come ahead of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s upcoming visit to the United States, scheduled for May 17. This marks his second trip to Washington this year, following his February visit as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state delegation.
According to Reuters, the visit aims to accelerate progress on a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and address key challenges, including the recent imposition of a 26% tariff on select Indian exports by the Trump administration. The two nations have set an ambitious target to conclude the first phase of the agreement by fall 2025.
Minister Goyal will be accompanied by Chief Negotiator Rajesh Agrawal and a team of senior officials. The Indian delegation is also expected to engage in broader discussions concerning global trade dynamics and World Trade Organization (WTO) reform.
India’s strategic objective is to significantly deepen its economic engagement with the United States—currently its largest trading partner—with the shared goal of increasing bilateral trade to $500 billion by the year 2030.
As negotiations continue, the international business community is watching closely, anticipating the potential realignment of one of the world’s most vital trade relationships.
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