WEF 2020: Piyush Goyal meets WTO chief, EU trade commissioner, others

PTI, Jan 25, 2020, 4:20 PM IST

Davos: Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday discussed with World Trade Organization chief Roberto Azevedo challenges in the multilateral trading system as well as India’s preparedness to engage in reforms aimed at bringing inclusivity and transparency.

Goyal, who is here to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual summit, met European Union trade commissioner Phil Hogan, former US Vice President Al Gore, renowned economist and Nobel laureate Michael Spence, and Singapore’s Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations S Iswaran, among others.

He also held discussions with Blackstone Group Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder Stephen A Schwarzman, South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel and ABB Chairman and CEO Peter Voser, according to a series of tweets by Goyal.

With WTO Director-General Azevedo, the minister discussed various challenges in the multilateral trading system.

They also spoke about India’s preparedness to engage in reforms aimed at bringing inclusivity, transparency and non-discrimination, as per a tweet.

The minister said his engagements at Davos show him that businessmen can clearly see that India is the place to invest for a better future.

He met Hogan and spoke about “the significant India-EU economic and investment ties, and the vast potential for them to grow manifold to our mutual advantage”.

Goyal – who holds the portfolios of Commerce and Industry, and Railways – also tweeted that he had a productive meeting with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria.

“Spoke about increasing India’s engagement with OECD for better insights on global trends, thus promoting more equitable and fair trade,” the minister tweeted.

With Gore, Goyal discussed the global economic scenario and its impact on trade and investment.

After meeting with Iswaran, the minister said they discussed ways to further enhance longstanding and deep relations and establishing sustainable trade ties between the two countries.

About his meeting with Schwarzman, Goyal tweeted, “discussed a range of investment opportunities that India presents across various sectors including real estate, infrastructure and logistics”.

With Patel, the minister spoke about expanding trade and investment ties through closer cooperation to achieve mutual economic growth and prosperity.

“Discussed our plan of Railway electrification & the huge investment opportunity it presents. Also, spoke about a range of emerging sectors in India like e-mobility, automation & renewable energy,” Goyal tweeted after meeting Voser.

On Thursday, the minister said the Indian economy is well-poised to take off and that there is a lot of enthusiasm for making investments in the country.