Piyush Goyal steps up trade diplomacy; meets Brazilian, Polish leaders on sidelines of G20

Milwaukee: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stepped up India's trade diplomacy on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting, holding talks with senior ministers from Brazil and Poland as major economies used the Milwaukee gathering to pursue bilateral trade and investment priorities.

On Wednesday (local time), Goyal met Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services Marcio Elias Rosa during the gathering.

The meeting came on a busy day of trade diplomacy for the Brazilian delegation, with Vieira and Elias Rosa also holding talks with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Brazil and the United States agreed during those talks to establish a working group to discuss a possible trade agreement, according to Brazilian accounts of the meeting.

The talks with Greer lasted about 40 minutes and came amid tariff differences between Washington and Brasilia. Brazilian officials said the two sides wanted to move quickly with the next stages of discussions, with the United States expected to propose a scope for the new working group.

Goyal separately met Poland's Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domanski and discussed expanding trade and investment between India and Poland, including opportunities arising from the proposed India-European Union free trade agreement.

"Held a productive meeting with Mr Andrzej Domański, Minister of Finance and Economy of Poland, on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting," Goyal said.

"Discussed new avenues to further strengthen trade & investment ties, and how the India-EU FTA can create new opportunities for businesses and deepen economic cooperation between India & Poland," he said.

The discussion gave Goyal's Milwaukee engagements an additional European dimension as India seeks to expand commercial ties with individual EU members alongside its negotiations with the European bloc.

Goyal also met Blake Moret, chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation, and exchanged views on expanding the American company's engagement in India.

"India's rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape, expanding industrial base, and strong technological capabilities present exciting avenues for collaboration in industrial automation and digital transformation," Goyal said.

He invited Rockwell Automation "to leverage India's skilled engineering talent and supportive policy environment to build resilient, tech-driven supply chains for the world."

Rockwell Automation was also at the centre of the G20 programme Wednesday, with Greer and visiting trade ministers touring its Milwaukee operations as the Trump administration showcased American manufacturing.

The bilateral meetings were taking place alongside the formal G20 discussions hosted by Greer on global trade rules, forced labour, food trade, supply chains and structural industrial overcapacity.

Canada was also pursuing an active bilateral agenda in Milwaukee. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu's programme included meetings with several counterparts, while a meeting with India's representative is expected Thursday.

For India, attention will also focus on engagement with the United States as New Delhi and Washington seek to advance negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement and an interim trade deal.

The Commerce Ministry said ahead of Goyal's visit that his US engagements would form part of efforts to advance "a balanced and mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and finalise an interim deal in line with the Joint Statement of 7 February 2026."

Goyal's Milwaukee visit began with a roundtable involving CEOs and senior executives from US manufacturing and technology companies, where he urged American businesses to deepen their presence in India, partner with Indian small and medium enterprises and explore opportunities in advanced manufacturing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]