G20 trade talks open in Milwaukee; Piyush Goyal represents India
Milwaukee, Oct 1 (IANS) Trade ministers from the world’s major economies began two days of talks in Milwaukee, with India represented by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, as the United States pushed for coordinated action against global steel overcapacity and changes to some rules governing international trade.
The G20 Trade Ministerial, hosted by United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, opened on Wednesday (local time) against the backdrop of tariff tensions, concerns over excess industrial capacity and growing differences among major economies over the future of the global trading system.
The first concrete development came from a meeting of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity, where participating countries agreed on a new framework for coordinated action against excess steel production.
Greer said the “Milwaukee Framework” would seek stronger coordinated action against excess capacity. The framework includes measures covering trade remedies, monitoring steel supply chains and greater scrutiny of transhipment.
Asked whether countries had agreed to increase tariffs on Chinese steel, Greer said individual governments would decide their own course.
“Well, every country will do what they think is appropriate,” Greer said. “We want to coordinate those measures. The United States has taken robust measures, and it probably makes sense for other countries to do that too.”
The steel issue is part of a broader US agenda for the ministerial that includes eliminating forced labour from global supply chains, updating the Most-Favoured-Nation principle, opposing the weaponisation of trade in food and addressing structural excess capacity and production.
Goyal is representing India at the ministerial and is also holding bilateral meetings with counterparts on its sidelines.
India has said it will work toward “a rules-based, open, inclusive, transparent, equitable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core, while ensuring adequate policy space for developing countries.”
The position is significant as the United States has put updating the Most-Favoured-Nation principle, one of the foundations of the WTO trading system, on the Milwaukee agenda.
The meeting also comes as New Delhi and Washington seek to advance negotiations for an India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement and finalise an interim trade deal.
The Commerce Ministry has said Goyal will engage bilaterally with his US counterpart “as part of ongoing 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”.
The trade discussions received added political attention Wednesday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump spoke by telephone and discussed bilateral cooperation, including trade, defence, energy and emerging technologies.
Before the formal ministerial discussions, Goyal met CEOs and senior executives of American manufacturing and technology companies at a roundtable organised by the National Association of Manufacturers.
He invited American manufacturers to deepen their presence in India, work with Indian small and medium enterprises and explore co-investments in advanced manufacturing and resilient supply chains.
Goyal said the India-US economic relationship was expanding beyond traditional trade to include investment, manufacturing, technology, innovation and resilient supply chains.
The G20 ministers also visited Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee on Wednesday, part of an effort by the Trump administration to put American manufacturing at the centre of the gathering.
Greer has said Milwaukee was deliberately chosen to showcase US factories to visiting trade ministers.
“We thought it would be really helpful to bring trade ministers here, to Milwaukee, to be a showcase,” Greer said ahead of the formal talks. “I could take them to great places like Sun Valley or other things like that, but we wanted them to see American factories”, so they could “see what we’re trying to protect.”
The gathering has also become a venue for a series of bilateral trade discussions.
Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is attending the meeting and is expected to speak with Greer. Sidhu is also scheduled to meet India’s representative on Thursday as Ottawa seeks to advance an economic partnership agreement with New Delhi.
Canada has said it will use the Milwaukee meeting to present itself as an “open, predictable and rules-based” trading partner while seeking greater diversification of its trade relationships.
Russia is represented by Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, while Japan is among the major economies participating in the discussions.
The Milwaukee meeting continues Thursday with further ministerial sessions. Greer is scheduled to hold a press conference in the afternoon before ministers return for their final session.
The G20 brings together the world’s major developed and emerging economies and has become an important forum for addressing tensions over trade, industrial policy and supply chains. This week’s meeting precedes the G20 leaders’ summit that the United States will host later this year.
–IANS
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