Piyush Goyal to lead team of officials to Washington for trade talks from May 17

Piyush Goyal leads Indian officials in talks with U.S. counterparts on bilateral trade agreement, focusing on tariffs and non-tariff barriers.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a team of senior Indian officials to Washington starting May 17 for discussions with their U.S. counterparts on the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), an official said on Tuesday.

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During the visit, Mr. Goyal will hold meetings with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the agreement.

The four-day talks (May 17-20) come against the backdrop of both countries exploring the possibility of an interim trade arrangement in goods to secure "early mutual wins" ahead of finalising the first phase of the trade agreement by fall (September-October) this year.

The official said the chief negotiators of both countries will hold meetings from May 19-22. Mr. Goyal will reach Washington on May 16.

The main issues that will figure in the negotiations include market access, rules of origin, and non-tariff barriers.

India's proposal to impose retaliatory duties on certain U.S. products over American tariffs on steel and aluminium would also figure in the BTA deliberations.