Goyal to visit US for G20 trade ministers' meeting in September; to meet USTR Greer

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will visit the United States in late September to attend the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee and hold bilateral discussions with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, with the proposed India-US trade agreement expected to figure prominently in the talks, an official said. The two-day G20 Trade Ministerial will begin on September 30. The United States, which holds the G20 presidency for 2026, will host trade ministers from the grouping's major advanced and emerging economies. Goyal is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from other countries on the sidelines of the gathering, with discussions expected to focus on expanding trade and investment ties.

Trade pact in focus

The visit assumes significance as India and the US continue negotiations over a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). According to the official, the two sides remain in regular contact over the proposed pact.

India and the US had announced the finalisation of a framework for the first phase of the agreement in February. Subsequent changes in the US tariff regime, however, have necessitated further negotiations between the two countries.

Goyal recently said the first tranche of the agreement would come into effect once the US was able to ensure that India received a comparative advantage over competing exporting nations.

The US imposed an additional 10 per cent tariff on several countries, including India, from July 24. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia are among India's important competitors in the American market.

A favourable tariff differential against these countries could improve the price competitiveness of Indian products in the US, a key export destination for the country. India exported goods worth about USD 87 billion to the US during 2025-26.

Goyal and Greer had last held bilateral discussions in New Delhi in June, when issues concerning the first phase of the proposed trade agreement were taken up.

G20 trade agenda

The Milwaukee meeting is also expected to cover a broader set of contentious global trade issues.

Greer had said in May that the US would use the G20 Trade Ministerial to lead discussions on issues including forced labour, changes to the Most-Favoured Nation principle, the weaponisation of food trade and structural excess production capacity.

The G20 brings together the world's major developed and emerging economies and accounts for about 85 per cent of global GDP and around two-thirds of the world's population.

The US presidency will culminate with the G20 Leaders' Summit on December 14-15 at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, to be hosted by US President Donald Trump.