India steps up trade engagement with France, Canada, Saudi Arabia and South Korea
MILWAUKEE: India stepped up bilateral trade engagement with four major economic partners on Thursday as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held meetings with trade ministers from France, Canada, Saudi Arabia and South Korea on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting.
The discussions covered trade and investment, market access and ongoing negotiations for free trade agreements and other economic arrangements.
During his meeting with French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Nicolas Forissier, Goyal discussed expanding bilateral trade and investment ties and efforts to advance the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement. The two sides also discussed cooperation in areas including aerospace manufacturing, UPI integration and joint innovation.
With Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, Goyal reviewed the ongoing negotiations for the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The discussions followed earlier engagement between the two sides on expanding bilateral economic ties.
Goyal also met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi. The two sides discussed progress in India-GCC Free Trade Agreement negotiations and opportunities to strengthen trade and investment relations.
A meeting with South Korean Trade Minister Park Jung-Sung focused on upgrading the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Discussions also covered market access for Indian agricultural, pharmaceutical and marine products and Korean manufacturing investment in India.
The meetings took place as India seeks to advance several trade negotiations simultaneously and expand access for Indian goods and services in international markets.
The G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting provides a platform for countries to discuss broader issues affecting global trade while also allowing participating ministers to hold bilateral discussions.
India’s latest engagements in Milwaukee come amid continuing efforts to deepen economic partnerships with major trading partners and address market-access and investment issues through bilateral negotiations.
