Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri’s Remarks at the Launch of the India–US Trade Facilitation Portal

Thank you, my dear friend, Ambassador Kwatra, distinguished guests, leaders, colleagues, good morning to all of you. Good evening to all friends joining online from India.

It's a particular privilege to be here for the launch of the India-US Trade Facilitation Portal. This has been an exercise in the making for some time. I am aware of the immense effort that has gone into this at multiple ends, encouraged, of course, directly from here under Ambassador Kwatra’s leadership from the Embassy, but the enormous amount of groundwork and footworks that's been put into it by the Consulate General of India in New York. But also want to recognize the efforts of all the stakeholders, export promotion councils, industrial bodies and government departments from India and the United States, as well as all of our Consulates from the United States that have been involved in this effort.

Your presence here reflects our shared commitment to deepening what has very appropriately been called one of the most consequential economic partnerships of our time.

Over the years, the India-US trade relationship has demonstrated exceptional realist resilience and dynamism, notwithstanding the challenges that we have seen posed to it in the very recent past. In just the last year, in 2025 for instance, our bilateral trade reached a record 241 billion US dollars, making it the fourth consecutive year that the United States has been India's largest bilateral trading partner. And this figure represents a growth of 15% and it's remarkable that this growth has been achieved in the face of what I refer to as the volatility that we witnessed, both on the bilateral front on account of issues to do with tariffs, but also on a more general front, due to the prevailing global economic volatility.

his trajectory, I submit, is not incidental, it's the result of sustained effort, mutual trust and a growing convergence of economic priorities on both sides. I think there is value that stakeholders on both sides of the equation recognize in growing this relationship even faster, further and higher.

Recent global developments from the COVID-19 pandemic to evolving global geopolitical shifts underscore the importance today of diversified, resilient and reliable supply chains. I think the disruptions that all of you have been witnessing over the last several years have revealed vulnerabilities in the global economic and especially the trading makeup. But just where there are vulnerabilities, there are also opportunities.

And I think today, there is much greater emphasis being placed on the need for trusted partnerships and the need for dependable geographies, for partners who want to do business together. And it is in this context that the idea of dedicated digital platform for facilitating trade has emerged.

I also want to point out, as was alluded to by Ambassador Kwatra in his remarks, the enormous priority and importance that India's leadership places on initiatives such as the one that we are all participating in and witnessing today.

he Prime Minister of India, for instance, has emphasized at every turn the criticality of the 3Ts in India's external engagement, Trade, Technology and Tourism, and how important it is for our Missions to immerse themselves in promoting these 3Ts. And today's initiative, I think, is a very big step forward on the trade part of the 3Ts agenda, and I, therefore, commend it all the more for that reason.

On both sides, Governments and stakeholders have also recognized the importance for of a seamless and transparent and responsive mechanism to connect businesses, especially in this time of uncertainty, and the portal that is being launched today meets this very need. It will serve as a bridge, ensuring continuity and ensuring that existing supply chains are reinforced, and at the same time, will enable new commercial linkages to emerge and grow. While it's a fact that several B to B platforms exist already, a dedicated India-US platform unlocks the full potential of this bilateral partnership.

And again, as was mentioned by Ambassador Kwatra, this is especially timely as we engage on the shared bilateral ambition towards ‘Mission 500’, doubling our bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

I think we all recognize that achieving this goal will call not just for policy alignment, which is happening even as we speak, but also practical tools that empower businesses, especially small and medium sized businesses, first time exporters, to engage across borders with confidence. And I think this is something that the portal reflects. It also reflects a broader evolution in our approach, because Governments today are not merely facilitators and witnesses from the sidelines. We are also actively stepping into the role of matchmakers, connecting buyers and sellers, reducing frictions wherever they might come up, and fostering trust.

In this context, recently announced India-US Trade Understanding marks an important step forward in our economic partnership, and I think will provide a boost to the activities that are currently underway. You would have seen the statements that have been made in this regard over the last couple of months on a Framework towards an Interim Trade Agreement and a pathway towards a Bilateral Trade Agreement between the two countries. This is a framework that promotes reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade, enhances market access and strengthens supply chain resilience immediately through expanded preferential access, rigorous rules of origin and addressing non-tariff barriers across various sectors. And even as this understanding has been framed, while keeping in mind sensitivities, we feel that on the whole, this agreement creates enormous opportunities, especially from the Indian end for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, it supports employment generation and will enable deeper integration into global value chains.

I would also underline that as India enters upon a decisive phase of its growth, as we move towards Vikasit Bharat 2047, United States remains one of our most valued and trusted partners, and there is also, I think, recognition, not just bilaterally, but more widely, that India's growth and India's potential make it a credible and competitive option for global supply chain diversification, which is something that we are seeing happening in real time. This is not just an aspiration, I think it's an emerging reality, and it is fired by our scale, our capabilities and our commitment to reliability.

As I conclude, I would once again like to commend our Embassy in Washington DC, our Consulate General in New York, for the leadership in bringing this wonderful initiative to fruition, as well as to all the industry chambers and export promotion councils that have been involved in this enterprise for their valuable contributions. I'm confident that this platform will serve as a very valuable tool, not just for facilitating trade, but also for building enduring partnerships, partnerships that will actually help us advance towards our shared goals for stronger India-US partnership.

Thank you all very much for inviting me to be here with us, with all of you today, and good luck to all of you. Thank you.