Pakistan Finance Minister notes considerable progress in US trade framework talks, aiming for mutually beneficial agreements.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Monday that Pakistan had made "considerable progress" in talks with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on a reciprocal trade framework. He met U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker at the Finance Division in Islamabad to review bilateral economic ties and opportunities. The ministry said Aurangzeb emphasized Pakistan’s interest in advancing the framework on a mutually beneficial basis, including better market access and increased exports. The minister briefed Baker on his recent Washington visit, where he met the U.S. Treasury Secretary, senior International Monetary Fund officials, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and the U.S. Export‑Import Bank. He highlighted constructive engagement with U.S. institutions and discussed ways to strengthen financial cooperation and investment in commercially viable projects in Pakistan. The discussion also covered Pakistan’s engagement with international capital markets, its effort to diversify financing sources, and the government’s focus on improving foreign exchange reserves and sovereign credit. Both sides exchanged views on ports, logistics, energy, telecommunications, digital technology, artificial intelligence, and other emerging sectors. Pakistan also briefed on a new daily price revision mechanism for petroleum products to align domestic prices more closely with international markets. Baker praised Pakistan’s efforts to manage economic challenges and expressed continued U.S. interest in deeper trade, investment, and economic cooperation. The negotiations on the Pakistan‑United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade were held on July 9 and 10 in Washington, focusing on expanding bilateral trade and commercial cooperation. Business leaders welcomed the progress and said a reciprocal trade agreement could improve Pakistani exporters’ access to the U.S. market.