IRONING OUT DIFFERENCES

ON INDIA-US TRADE DEAL DELAY

Neither government said that there will be a trade deal in five minutes... We do think that there is no structural reason why there can’t be one pretty quickly. We know each other's issues

— WILBUR ROSS, US secretary of commerce Trade has to consider the past, the present, future, the political dynamics, local issues, long term issues, bilateral and multilateral commitments. So it's a very complex story

— PIYUSH GOYAL, Union commerce minister

ON PROTECTIONIST POLICIES

The US is the least protectionist country of the major powers. India is, if not the most protectionist, certainly one of the most protectionist

— WILBUR ROSS On certain issues, there can be a difference of opinion between the two countries

— PIYUSH GOYAL

ON E-COMMERCE POLICY

Amazon and the other e-commerce companies didn’t get to be the world’s biggest by any evil mechanism. They got there because they are extremely efficient

— WILBUR ROSS E-commerce is a platform that provides opportunity to buyers and sellers in an agnostic fashion. It is not expected to be a platform for predatory pricing

— PIYUSH GOYAL

ON SMALL TRADERS

India is very clear, considering our domestic political compulsions and having about 120-130 million people dependent on small retail... This is a very sensitive subject

— PIYUSH GOYAL If a hundred years from now, India still has as many small retailers as now, it would have held back the growth of the country immensely

— WILBUR ROSS