• By Aditya Jha
  • Sun, 20 Oct 2024 12:22 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, claimed that India and the US are involved in several economic and strategic partnerships, and the H1B visa issue is now "a thing of the past". He made these remarks during a press briefing in New Delhi. 

Earlier, Goyal was on a US visit where he met several CEOs and sought a critical mineral partnership agreement with the United States. India and the US signed an initial pact to cooperate on strengthening supply chains for lithium, cobalt, and other critical minerals used in electric vehicles and clean energy applications. However, Goyal clarified that there is no FTA negotiation. “US Congress is not keen on FTA with any country, not just India,” he said.

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"I had suggested that the critical mineral MoU (memorandum of understanding) be converted to a critical mineral partnership and become a starting point to become an FTA (Free Trade Agreement)," Piyush Goyal told reporters at a press briefing in New Delhi.

During his visit to the US, Goyal claimed that India is a reliable partner for the US and has maintained a healthy relationship under several presidents of the US. “The Modi government has worked cordially with all three regimes—the Obama administration, the Trump administration, and the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration. Hence, the bilateral economic relations are bound to grow further and faster,” Goyal said. 

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He also claimed that several CEOs were surprised that any political party could form a government for the third consecutive time in today's age. “They were amazed that any government in today’s age can come back for a third term. This was told to me, I think, in every meeting,” Goyal stated. 

Piyush Goyal also met with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), think tanks, educators, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Goyal claimed that this visit was different from previous trips as there were no discussions on negative agendas