India's trade minister pushes dozens of free-trade deals at G20-era talks

At a series of meetings in Milwaukee, Commerce minister Piyush Goyal advanced a broad portfolio of trade negotiations, ranging from deals close to signing to the expansion of older pacts. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described the India-US negotiations as being in the "short strokes" and noted that both sides have identified remaining sticking points. Goyal also reviewed progress on the India-EU free-trade agreement with EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, which was concluded in January and is pending signature, promising near-full tariff liberalisation for Indian goods.

Parallel talks with Canada aim to hit a $50-$70 billion trade target by 2030, while discussions with Saudi Arabia, the UK, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico and other partners focused on unlocking existing agreements and widening market access. The Commerce Ministry said the United States and the EU together took $86.5 billion and $75.85 billion, respectively, of India’s merchandise exports in 2024-25, underscoring the strategic importance of these negotiations.