New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said that in all trade deals, the country has protected its national interests, adding that we have secured the best trade deal with the US compared to other nations.

Speaking at the ‘Raisina Dialogue 2026’ here, the minister said India has emerged as a self-confident nation in the last decade and New Delhi and Washington share a very powerful’ relationship.

“US President Donald Trump has always had the best of things to say about India as a country, and about Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. We have fantastic relations with our counterparts there,” said Goyal. “I think it’s a very, very powerful relationship that the US and India share. And we got the best deal amongst all the nations with whom we compete,” the minister added.

“We have a large responsibility cast on both our nations. They are the world’s largest economy, $30 trillion economy, nobody can wish them away,” he said.

“We are creating a World Wide Web of trade partnerships,” Goyal highlighted, adding that the India-US relationship is strong and multi-dimensional.

He recently said that India would go in for a rebalancing of the proposed trade agreement with the United States, if required, to protect its interests, in view of the changed situation following the US Supreme Court annulling the tariff hikes announced earlier by the Donald Trump administration.

“Given the evolving situation on US tariffs, we will wait and watch and ensure India’s best interests are protected,” Goyal said at an event late last month. “It’s an evolving situation. The Trump administration has made some comments; they have other tools that they can use. Next week, they can increase tariffs to 15 per cent. Various dialogues are going on. I had said that if the circumstances change, the deal will be rebalanced.”

The minister pointed out that the “India-US joint statement says that should circumstances change, the deal will be rebalanced”. He further stated that bilateral trade discussions with the United States are continuing amid the changing situation.

He reiterated that sensitive dairy and farm sectors have been protected in the proposed arrangement. He further stated that despite the global headwinds, India’s exports are poised to increase this year.

–IANS

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