India, US agree to continue purposeful, positive engagements at the end of the 2-day trade talks

The commerce ministry has said that India and the United States (US) have concluded two-day trade talks, during which both sides exchanged their views on a wide range of items related to India-US trade and economic ties, including the ongoing negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement. Both sides agreed to continue the current purposeful and positive engagements.

A delegation, led by Deputy US Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer, visited India from December 9, 2025, to December 11, 2025, for the talks. The visit was Ambassador Switzer's first to India after assuming his current office. During the visit, Ambassador Switzer met Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, and other senior Indian officials. The visit is crucial as India and the US are working to finalise the first tranche of the pact.

In February 2025, leaders of the two countries directed officials to negotiate an agreement, with first tranche of the pact expected to conclude by the fall of 2025. So far, six rounds of negotiations have been held. Through the trade agreement, both the countries aim to double trade from the current $191 billion to $500 billion by 2030. The US remained India's largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade reaching $131.84 billion, including $86.5 billion in exports.