India’s Commerce Minister to Hold US Trade Talks as Tariff and H-1B Issues Loom

Piyush Goyal to Visit US on September 22 for Trade Talks Amid Tariff and H-1B Concerns.

New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead an Indian delegation to the United States on September 22 for high-level trade negotiations, the ministry announced on Saturday. The visit aims to push forward discussions on a proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) and achieve an early, mutually beneficial conclusion.

Goyal will be accompanied by Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and other senior officials, with meetings scheduled in New York. The trip follows a round of talks in New Delhi on September 16 with US negotiators, which were described as positive and focused on accelerating the agreement.

Key Challenges

The talks come amid mounting tensions: the US recently imposed a combined 50% tariff on Indian goods, and also hiked H-1B visa fees to USD 100,000, a move industry body Nasscom said could disrupt Indian IT services and onshore projects.

The BTA, first directed by leaders of both countries in February, aims to more than double bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, from USD 191 billion currently. The US remains India’s largest trading partner, accounting for 18% of India’s exports and over 10% of overall merchandise trade. Goyal had previously visited Washington in May, meeting US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. On Thursday, he said the trade talks were “progressing in the right direction.”