U.S. Envoy Says Major India Trade Deal Issues Are Settled

U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said October 15 that the major elements of a proposed U.S.-India trade agreement were settled, with smaller issues still under discussion, and that he expected the two countries to conclude a deal. No agreement has been announced. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, Gor described the broad framework and major items as complete and said negotiations were moving quickly. He did not detail the outstanding issues, saying ministers would make any announcement. Gor said talks had lasted about a year and a half and involved U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the two governments were still ironing out differences and that the negotiations were heading toward a landing point. At the forum, he said some matters remained and declined to discuss them publicly. He also noted that India was weighing how its terms would compare with those offered to competing economies. The officials’ remarks indicate substantial progress but do not establish that all terms have been settled.