US confident of closing India trade pact in coming weeks, says Ambassador Sergio Gor – Firstpost

The United States is confident that an interim trade agreement with India can be finalised in the “coming weeks”, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Thursday, signalling growing momentum in negotiations as Washington and New Delhi push to deepen economic ties amid an increasingly volatile global trade environment.

The remarks come a day after Gor revealed that Indian companies had committed
more than $20 billion in investments in the United States across sectors such as technology, pharmaceuticals, steel, automotive manufacturing, energy and advanced engineering — a sign of the rapidly expanding commercial partnership between the world’s two largest democracies.

Speaking at the Annual Leadership Summit of the American Chamber of Commerce in India in New Delhi, Gor said negotiations between the two countries had accelerated significantly and were entering a crucial phase that could eventually pave the way for a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

“President Trump’s goal is to facilitate bilateral trade in a way that creates lucrative opportunities for American businesses and workers. Our current interim trade agreement is on the table to be finalised, unlocking prosperity for both nations,” Gor said.

The ambassador described the recent wave of Indian investment into the US as evidence of the growing strategic depth of India-US economic ties, with Indian companies increasingly viewing the American market not merely as an export destination but as a long-term manufacturing and investment base.

Major Indian conglomerates, including Tata Group, Reliance Industries, Infosys, Wipro and JSW Steel, have steadily expanded their presence in the US through manufacturing facilities, research centres and infrastructure investments.

Gor said the proposed interim arrangement was aimed at expanding market access, reducing trade barriers and creating greater certainty for businesses and investors operating in both economies.

His comments come amid an intensified diplomatic push by both governments to resolve outstanding trade disputes and secure an interim pact before broader negotiations gather pace.

The envoy revealed that an Indian delegation had travelled to Washington last month to advance the talks, while another American delegation is expected to visit India next month for further negotiations.

“Negotiations have been ongoing for a year and a half, but to put it in perspective, the European Union took almost 19 years. We are confident that in the coming weeks and months, this trade deal will be finalised,” he said.

The comments underscore the relatively rapid pace of the India-US negotiations, especially when compared with India’s long-running trade discussions with the European Union, which began in 2007 before both sides concluded a free trade agreement framework earlier this year.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also confirmed that a US delegation would travel to India next month for another round of technical discussions linked to the proposed pact.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Goyal said negotiations remained “active and constructive” following recent meetings in Washington focused on ironing out the finer details of the interim arrangement.

The minister also clarified that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is scheduled to visit India from May 23, would not be directly leading the trade negotiations. The chief US negotiator for the BTA, he said, would arrive separately as part of another delegation.

Rubio’s four-day visit is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in trade, defence, energy and strategic technologies — sectors that have increasingly become central pillars of the India-US partnership.

The trade negotiations, however, are unfolding against the backdrop of a rapidly shifting global trade order.

The framework for the interim pact was initially laid out in a joint statement issued by India and the US on February 7. But the landscape shifted sharply after a recent US Supreme Court ruling struck down reciprocal tariffs that had earlier served as a key bargaining tool for the Trump administration in trade negotiations with partner countries.

Following the ruling, Washington imposed a 10 per cent auxiliary duty on inbound goods under Section 122 of the Trade Act for a temporary 150-day period beginning February 24.

At the same time, US authorities launched investigations under Section 301 into industrial overcapacity and labour practices involving major exporters. The provision grants Washington broad powers to impose duties if foreign trade practices are considered harmful to American commercial interests.

Indian officials have already submitted formal responses to the federal probes, while consultations between both governments continue as negotiators attempt to resolve the remaining sticking points ahead of a final agreement.

The push for a trade pact comes at a time when India-US economic engagement is expanding beyond conventional trade flows, with both countries increasingly aligning supply chains, technology partnerships and strategic investments amid rising geopolitical and economic fragmentation globally.

With inputs from agencies.