India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, held discussions with the leadership and members of the US House Ways and Means Committee on strengthening bilateral trade ties as both countries work towards an interim trade agreement.
“Joined a special roundtable discussion on key aspects of the US-India bilateral trade relationship with the leadership and members of the House Ways and Means Committee,” Kwatra said in a post on X.
“We exchanged views and discussed the way forward to further expand and deepen the trade partnership,” he added.
The meeting comes as India and the US continue negotiations on the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement. The talks have gained momentum following discussions between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New Delhi earlier this week.
The House Ways and Means Committee, the oldest committee of the US Congress, is the primary tax-writing panel of the House of Representatives. Its members play a key role in shaping trade-related legislation and policy.
Committee Chairman Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri, and Ranking Member Richard Neal, a Democrat from Massachusetts, were among those who attended the meeting with Kwatra.
Goyal recently said that the India-US trade deal was “very close” but stressed that it would move forward only if India secures a competitive tariff advantage over rival nations.
(With PTI inputs)