India and the United States are working to build a “fair, reciprocal and mutually beneficial” trade relationship, US Ambassador Sergio Gor said on Wednesday, ahead of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s expected visit to the US later this month.
The agreement is expected to be signed after legal review and the necessary regulatory approvals, according to the government. “The US-India relationship stands at a historic high point. He also pointed to potential cooperation in space, citing NASA’s invitation to ISRO to participate in its Moon Base programme.
Goyal is expected to visit the US for the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee beginning September 30, according to people familiar with the matter. India and the EU concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement on January 27, 2026. India and the US have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met in Washington on February 13, 2025.
Pick any sector and the United States and India are working together on it,” Gor said at the 66th annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) in New Delhi, attended by Goyal and British Deputy High Commissioner Harjinder Kang. Gor said cooperation between the two countries extended from information technology and data centres to pharmaceuticals, defence sales and military exercises. He is expected to meet his US counterpart on the sidelines of the two-day meeting and may discuss the proposed interim bilateral trade agreement (BTA), which the two sides have been negotiating, they said, requesting anonymity.
Goyal, speaking at the event, recalled the 65th ACMA annual session on September 12, 2025, which he attended with European Union Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. “Our progress extends well beyond trade in goods.
“Our two governments are working closely together to build a trade relationship that is fair, reciprocal and mutually beneficial,” Gor said. Goyal will travel to the US at the end of the month to “continue engaging” as the country hosts G20 talks, he added. Gor said the two countries had made “real progress”, including on the trade understanding reached by their governments, but stressed that their economic relationship extended beyond trade in goods. Our two nations are partnering on virtually everything,” he said. On market access, as the two governments work on the details of their trade relationship, Gor said the principle had to apply in both directions. “I want to underscore that fair market access cuts both ways,” he said, stressing the need for an environment in which US suppliers and technology can access the Indian market while Indian companies can compete fairly in the US. He said Gor’s presence at this year’s event was “special” because the India-EU trade negotiations had advanced after last year’s meeting, and expressed hope that the India-US BTA would also be concluded soon.
