The US-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) has been postponed for early next year,has confirmed. The bilateral meeting on trade between Minister Piyush Goyal and his US counterpart Trade Representative Katherine Tai is rescheduled for early next year, citing the upcoming US midterm elections in November.
"It's a critical midterm election that will determine the makeup of the next United States Congress, the outcome should give India clarity on US political landscape," an Indian official told ANI.
Postponing TPF was by "mutual" consent between India and US, another person familiar with the developments told ANI.
However, the political engagements will continue in the days ahead, the official added. Some of the Biden administration's top officials, including US treasury secretary Janet Yellen and commerce secretary Gina Raimondo, are likely to be in New Delhi on November 8 this year and February 13, an Indian government official told ANI.
Raimondo will interact with Goyal and discuss ways of strengthening the India-US trade and economic partnerships. On the other hand, Yellen will meet with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman
Earlier this year during his visit to Los Angeles for the first Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) ministerial, Goyal announced that the two countries will hold the next TPF. The TPF is a premier forum to resolve trade and investment issues between India and the US. It has five focus groups: Agriculture, Investment, Innovation and Creativity (intellectual property rights), Services, and Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers.
The last TPF was held in New Delhi.
( With inputs from ANI )
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