London [यूके]July 15 (ANI): United Kingdom's Trade Commissioner for South Asia, Harjinder Kang on Wednesday described Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as "one of the best negotiators" after the free trade agreement between India and the UK. Harjinder Kang, who served as the UK's chief negotiator for the UK-India FTA, praised Piyush Goyal for balancing multiple trade agreements simultaneously and described him as a good friend. The two countries had signed the FTA last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in July 2025. This agreement will come into effect from July 15. Signed in London, this historic agreement unlocks zero-duty access for 90.2% of Indian exports to the UK and cuts India's import duties on key British products.
In an interview to ANI, Kang said, "I have now become a very close friend of all my counterparts. Where we were butting heads with each other for years, now we are regularly shaking hands and having tea. Minister Goyal... I have to take my hat off to him. He is one of the best negotiators I have seen. And the credit goes to him for balancing so many FTAs in parallel with our agreement. And we have become good friends."
Recalling the annual UK-India Awards 2026 in London, the UK Trade Commissioner said, "He (Piyush Goyal) gave us an award at the Global Forum in London a few days ago and actually made me stand in the audience and took my name... He has been maintaining continuity in the Indian system from day one."
Furthermore, Harjinder Kang said that despite being of Indian origin, the deal was "tough". He described the "Indian system" as transactional. He said, "Being of Indian origin, I had an idea of the Indian mentality. So I thought I knew what it would be like, but it was hard. I think the Indian system is based on give and take and reciprocity. If I'm going to give you something, expect something in return and vice versa. And I think that's okay. Once you understand these rules of the game, it becomes easier to understand. In terms of personality, because I'm culturally Being aware of India and having had to deal with India a lot, it makes a lot of difference."
The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), officially known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), is a landmark deal that aims to increase bilateral trade between the two countries by £25.5 billion annually. The deal includes substantial tariff cuts on goods such as textiles, whiskey and cars, making Indian exports more competitive in the UK market and vice versa.
According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, this agreement with the United Kingdom is expected to significantly improve market access for Indian exports, with 90.2 per cent of India's exports to the UK becoming duty-free. (ANI)
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