NEW DELHI: India and the US held detailed discussions on the customs and trade facilitation chapter of the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in New Delhi last week, government sources said.
A two-member US team visited on November 2-3. “Last week two members came to India to have a detailed discussion on the chapters related to customs and trade facilitation,” a source said. Commerce ministry officials said negotiations were on track, with talks under way to finalise the first tranche of the pact.
The announcement came days after US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections.
Officials said technical talks would continue irrespective of the outcome and that bilateral ties were not likely to be affected.
Indian exporters hope the result will give fresh life to India-US talks, as it checks Trump’s ability to push key agenda, including tariffs and anti-immigration measures.
The two sides have been negotiating the BTA since February. Differences over tariff and access to India’s agri-dairy markets remain sticking points, along with the threat of US tariff under Section 301 apart from sanctions over oil purchase from Russia. The official also said that technical discussions on BTA will continue irrespective of the mid-term poll outcome, and India’s relation with the US is unlikely to be impacted.
