Washington, D.C.: With a tight deadline for the India-US trade agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will be in Washington for a week starting Monday to kick off talks with the newly confirmed US Trade Representative (USTR), Jamieson Greer.
The US Senate confirmed Greer on Wednesday, paving the way for negotiations on a multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) set to conclude by autumn. The upcoming ministerial meeting aims to clarify the scope of the BTA and reciprocal tariffs under consideration by the US.
Ahead of the talks, India’s commerce ministry has consulted key industries and stakeholders to shape its stance on product-specific discussions. Meanwhile, the USTR has launched a study on tariff and non-tariff barriers faced by US exporters globally, likely leading to reciprocal tariffs on major trade partners, including India.
A Crucial Move to Avoid Trade Conflicts
The decision to pursue a trade agreement follows the February 13 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Washington. The deal aims to resolve trade tensions by addressing tariff and regulatory concerns affecting businesses in both nations.
Notably, apart from India, the UK is the only other country that offered a negotiated deal under Trump’s trade policy, which focuses on reducing trade deficits through tariffs and revised agreements.
With discussions now set to begin, all eyes will be on the progress of the India-US trade negotiations in the coming months.
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