Piyush Goyal to visit US for G20 meet, push for interim trade deal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to the United States from September 29 to October 5 to attend the G20 Trade Ministers’ meeting and hold discussions with his US counterpart on efforts to advance an interim India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA).

Goyal is visiting Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the invitation of the US Trade Representative. He is scheduled to participate in the G20 Trade Ministers’ meeting on September 30 and October 1 before travelling to Chicago for meetings with American business leaders and members of the Indian diaspora, according to the Commerce Ministry.

At the G20 meeting, India will seek to work with member countries towards an open, transparent and non-discriminatory global trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) remaining at its centre. India will also emphasise the need to preserve sufficient policy flexibility for developing economies.

Goyal is expected to hold bilateral discussions with several trade counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting. The talks will focus on expanding opportunities for Indian farmers, fishermen, women entrepreneurs, startups, micro, small and medium enterprises and other businesses.

A key component of his US visit will be discussions with the US administration on the India-US BTA. The two sides have been working towards an interim arrangement as part of broader efforts to establish a balanced and mutually beneficial trade framework.

India and the US had reached a framework for an interim BTA in February. However, the proposed agreement has faced delays following developments surrounding the legal basis for the preferential tariff structure offered by Washington. New Delhi is seeking a competitive tariff arrangement that would provide Indian exporters a level playing field with competing economies.

During his meetings in Milwaukee and Chicago, Goyal will also interact with senior executives from major US companies across sectors including manufacturing, consumer goods, agribusiness, retail and technology. He is expected to promote India as a manufacturing and investment destination and participate in discussions with businesses, startups and innovative companies.

The Commerce Ministry said the visit is aimed at strengthening the India-US trade and investment relationship while deepening New Delhi’s engagement with its G20 partners.

In Chicago, Goyal is also scheduled to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on Gandhi Jayanti and Swami Vivekananda. He will meet professional associations representing the Indian community during his visit.

Before leaving for the US, Goyal on Monday co-chaired the 14th meeting of the India-UAE High-Level Joint Task Force on Investments in Mumbai with Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

The meeting reviewed trade and investment priorities, including measures to increase bilateral investment flows and identify new areas of cooperation. According to the Commerce Ministry, India-UAE bilateral trade reached $101.25 billion in 2025-26.

Following the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the two countries have set a target of increasing bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032.