Commerce minister Piyush Goyal confident of US trade pact ahead of tariff deadline

London: Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said he was optimistic that India could reach an agreement with the US ahead of an August 1 deadline to avert threatened tariffs of 26%.

"I'm always confident," Goyal said in an interview Thursday with Bloomberg TV in London, when asked how he was feeling about prospects for a pact.

"I've had some wonderful engagement with my friend and colleague from the US," he said, calling US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer "very dear friends."


Goyal insisted there weren't any sticking points in the US-India relationship or in current trade talks, and clarified that immigration rules - including around H-1B visas for skilled workers - had not come up in this year's talks.

"We have very robust negotiations going on with several countries," including with the US, EU, New Zealand, Peru, and Chile, Goyal said Thursday.