India plans a large multi-sectoral business delegation to the US in the first quarter of next year, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said in Chicago, highlighting plans to strengthen trade, investment, business partnerships and participation in American trade fairs.
India is planning to send a large multi-sectoral business delegation to the United States in the first quarter of next year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said, as New Delhi seeks to strengthen commercial engagement between Indian businesses and their American counterparts.
Goyal announced the proposed business mission during an interaction with Indian-Americans at an event organised by the US Indian Community Foundation in Chicago. The minister had travelled to Chicago after attending the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee, where discussions covered several issues concerning global trade and the future of the multilateral trading system.
According to Goyal, a large Indian business delegation had initially been planned as part of his ongoing visit to the United States. However, the programme could not be accommodated because of time constraints linked to his participation in the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting.
“In fact, even this trip I had planned a large business delegation. But due to shortage of time, I was busy in G20 until Thursday,” Goyal said.
The minister said India would now look at organising the delegation early next year. “So we thought we will do that very soon, maybe in the first quarter of next year. We will have a very large Indian delegation, multi-sectoral come here,” he said.
The proposed delegation is expected to provide Indian companies with an opportunity to engage directly with businesses, investors and other commercial stakeholders in the United States. The initiative is also intended to provide a platform for discussions on investment, technology, manufacturing, services and other areas of bilateral economic cooperation.
Goyal also highlighted plans to increase India’s participation in trade fairs across the United States. He said discussions with businesses in Chicago had raised the possibility of having more trade fairs in Chicago and other parts of the country, while also encouraging greater participation by Indian companies in existing American trade events.
“Then I was suggesting we should have greater participation in existing trade fairs from India. Both of which I am taking back and will positively implement,” Goyal said. He added that India would seek to ensure that more Indian businesses participate in such events and showcase the country’s economic and commercial opportunities.
The minister spent time meeting American companies and investors after travelling from Milwaukee to Chicago. He said his discussions included businesses of different sizes, including large investors, with several meetings held through the US Chamber of Commerce.
“I had a privilege of interacting with some of the important business persons in this room just before I came here,” Goyal said.
“Through the day I have been meeting businesses of different size, big and small, through US Chamber of Commerce. I have had several one-on-one meetings with large investors,” he added.
Goyal also offered government assistance to American companies and Indian-American entrepreneurs interested in investing or expanding their operations in India. He pointed to Invest India as the government’s investment facilitation mechanism and said officials from the ministry and the Consulate General could help investors address issues related to doing business in the country.
“We have Invest India which will handle any investor who wants to do business in India,” Goyal said. He added that the Consulate General’s office could connect interested investors with Invest India and the Commerce Ministry, while government officials would work to resolve issues faced by investors.
Addressing the wider Indian-American community, Goyal called for greater participation in India’s economic expansion through investment, technology and knowledge. He highlighted the size of India’s domestic market and the country’s expanding network of international trading relationships as areas offering opportunities for businesses based in the United States.
“The United States of America has capital strength, technology strength. India has ambition,” Goyal said, describing India as a young country with an increasingly aspirational population.
Goyal’s Chicago visit followed his participation in the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee. The meeting included discussions on forced labour, the future of the World Trade Organization and concerns related to state-supported excess production capacity.
India and the United States have extensive commercial ties covering goods and services, technology, manufacturing and investment. Against this backdrop, the proposed multi-sectoral business delegation is expected to provide another opportunity for companies from both countries to explore commercial partnerships and investment opportunities.
The planned mission would also build on the business engagements held during Goyal’s current US visit. By bringing companies from multiple sectors together, India intends to expand direct business-to-business interaction and provide Indian enterprises with greater exposure to the American market.
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The minister’s announcement also places greater emphasis on trade fairs and business events as platforms for Indian companies to present products, services and investment opportunities in the United States. Increased participation could allow businesses from different sectors to establish contacts with American companies and investors.
While the exact dates, sectors and composition of the proposed delegation have not yet been announced, Goyal indicated that the initiative could take place in the first quarter of next year. The plan, along with efforts to expand participation in US trade fairs, forms part of India’s broader effort to deepen business and investment engagement with American counterparts.
