Trade Min-Will Start Dialogue w/New USTR On Mkt Acss, Tariffs, Trde Rltns

Wires reporting that Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has stated that India will start a dialogue with the new US Trade Representative on issues including market access, tariffs, and broader trade relations.

• Katherine Tai is the set to take over as USTR from Robert Lighthizer (and the interim acting USTR Maria Pagan) once she is confirmed by the US Senate. Tai is the former chief trade counsel for the United States House Committee on Ways and Means.
• In January, India's Mint newspaper reported that Indian officials did not expect the new Biden administration to be significantly interested in a US-India trade deal, with the paper quoting an unnamed official as stating "We will pursue the pending mini-trade deal with the Biden administration. However, we are not sure how interested the new administration will be in the deal,"