On Friday, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal highlighted the strengthening ties between the United States and India, emphasizing their collaboration across various fields, including trade, technology, and investment.
Goyal reaffirmed India’s commitment to its partnership with the U.S., stating, “Let me be clear: India considers the United States one of our most dependable trade partners. We are actively broadening our relations and trade in goods, services, technology, and investment. We value this partnership deeply.” He mentioned that under Prime Minister Modi, India has maintained robust connections with the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations and expects this positive relationship to continue.
He pointed out the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning critical minerals, which aims to ensure open supply chains and promote collaboration between India’s Ministry of Mines and the U.S. government. “During my four-day visit to the U.S., we signed the MoU on critical minerals to keep supply chains open and foster cooperation,” he explained.
Goyal noted the increased regularity of trade policy forums and commercial discussions with the U.S., marking a notable improvement from previous years. “The Trade Policy Forum, the Commercial Dialogue with the U.S. Commerce Secretary, and the India-U.S. CEO Forum are now regularly in contact. In the past, such meetings were rare and infrequent. Today, they are focused, agenda-driven, and occurring often,” he observed.
Additionally, he highlighted the rise in high-level meetings between the two nations. “Another significant point is the frequency of high-level engagements within just one month. The Prime Minister visited, followed by the Defence Minister, the Foreign Minister, and myself. The U.S.-India relationship now transcends politics. Both countries are interacting regularly at the highest levels, and this relationship is continuously improving and maturing,” Goyal noted.
Moreover, he discussed the importance of reskilling and upskilling the technical workforce to enhance collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI). He emphasized the significance of the academia-industry partnership that was discussed at the Prime Minister’s tech roundtable at MIT. “We explored ways to collaborate on reskilling and upskilling technical professionals to build a workforce capable of supporting greater cooperation in AI, machine learning, and the establishment of data centers in India. These initiatives will create investment opportunities in both countries,” he mentioned. Goyal also shared insights from discussions with top bankers and investment funds about ambitious future investments in India, highlighting the country’s growth potential.
The Commerce Minister emphasized the strength of the India-U.S. partnership, highlighting its resilience amid global risks associated with engaging countries that do not adhere to the rule of law or maintain non-discriminatory policies. He stated that the India-U.S. relationship is strong in all respects and reaffirmed the commitment to ongoing collaboration rooted in the mutual trust that defines this partnership.
