NEW DELHI: Union Minister Piyush Goyal on August 25 said India did not join China-led RCEP as its trade deficit would have widened and New Delhi’s ‘heart’ is with Washington, hinting at a trade surplus with the US.
Goyal’s remarks came at the B20 summit in the national Capital while moderating the Trade Ministers’ Session where Wang Shouwen, Vice Minister in the Ministry of Commerce of China, and US Trade Representative Catherine Tie were also present.
Piyush Goyal asked Wang Shouwen if Beijing regretted India chose not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). To this, Wang Shouwen said China and India’s trade relationship has been growing very fast and last year, the bilateral trade reached $130 billion.
