US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will discuss a broad set of issues, including agriculture, industrial products, services, and the protection of intellectual property, to strengthen the resilience of bilateral trade relationship at the Trade Policy Forum meeting next week in New Delhi, the US government has said.

“The United States-India trade relationship continues to grow stronger and benefit both nations throughout the past year as Ambassador Tai and Minister Goyal reached several milestone agreements that deliver crucial market access for American farmers and producers, and high quality products to Indian consumers,” per a statement issued by the Office of the USTR prior to Tai’s India visit.

The USTR will travel to New Delhi  from January 12-14, 2024, the statement confirmed.  

On January 12, Tai will first meet with her counterpart Goyal and then the two will co-chair the 14th Ministerial-level meeting of the United States-India Trade Policy Forum. 

“Under Ambassador Tai and Minister Goyal’s leadership, the Trade Policy Forum has helped remove trade barriers and facilitate cooperation on key issues,” the statement noted.

On January 13, Tai will meet civil society representatives, business leaders, and stakeholders to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s engagement and commitment to fostering closer ties between the two countries, it added.

The agreements reached between India and the US in the past year included a 70 per cent reduction of the tariff on pecans, the removal of retaliatory tariffs on almonds, apples, chickpeas, lentils and walnuts, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents, and commitments for additional tariff reductions on frozen turkey, frozen duck, as well as fresh, frozen, dried, and processed blueberries and cranberries, the statement pointed out. The US and India also agreed to resolve all seven outstanding World Trade Organisation disputes.

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