US, India agree to take comprehensive look at ways to expand bilateral trade relationship

India and US on Wednesday, 3 November, agreed to take a comprehensive look at ways to expand the bilateral trade relationship between the two nations. According to a press release, the latest development comes after US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal met virtually. Both the leaders agreed to take a comprehensive look at ways to expand the bilateral trade relations and ensure the future success of the India-US Trade Policy Forum. 

“They also shared perspectives on how to reach meaningful outcomes at the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12),” the press note read. 

Katherine Tai to visit New Delhi later this month 

The release also informed that Tai and Goyal are now looking forward to their upcoming meetings in New Delhi from November 22-23. It is to mention that the MC12 was originally scheduled to take place in June 2020 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, but was postponed due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. According to the WTO, MC12 will take place from 30 November to 3 December 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The WTO Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO and it is attended by trade ministers and other senior officials from the organisation’s 164 members. The conference will be chaired by Kazakhstan's Minister of Trade and Integration, Bakhyt Sultanov, as approved by WTO members in 2019. Under the Marrakesh Agreement, the conference is held once every two years. MC11 was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2017.   

(Image: PTI/AP)