US Envoy, Indian Foreign Minister Discuss Re-Launching Bilateral Trade Forum - Statement

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2021) US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that she met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to re-launch the trade policy forum between the two countries.

"I had the pleasure to meet Minister S. Jaishankar today to discuss strengthening the US relationship with the Indo-Pacific and the re-launch of the US-India TPF (Trade Policy Forum), specially how we can use it to address labor, environment, and digital trade concerns," Tai said via Twitter on Tuesday.

This is the first trade policy forum to take place between the countries since 2017, but the twelfth overall.

The US Trade Representative's office said in a press release that Tai also Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to discuss a range of bilateral trade issues and the two agreed to continue to work towards resolving concerns.

The United States and India intend to convene the TPF again at the ministerial level next year, the release added.

The two sides also agreed to work collaboratively in multilateral trade bodies including the World Trade Organization, the G20, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to address bilateral and global trade issues.

Moreover, the release said the two sides also agreed to continue to work to expand bilateral trade in agricultural and food products.