NEW DELHI: Ahead of President Donald Trump's proposed announcement on April 2 regarding reciprocal tariffs on countries, including India, a high-level US delegation will arrive here on Tuesday for a five-day visit to advance discussions on a framework for the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the two nations.
“Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, along with a team of U.S. government officials, will be in India March 25-29 for meetings with Indian interlocutors as part of ongoing bilateral trade discussions,” a US embassy spokesperson said.
The visit comes after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s trip to the U.S from March 3 to 7, where he held talks with his counterparts on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), focused on addressing tariff and non-tariff issues, improving market access, and enhancing supply chain integration.
Sources said the meetings in Delhi are expected to “zero in on the framework of the BTA so that the fall 2025 deadline” for the pact can be met. India has already taken steps to reduce tariffs in certain categories and indicated it would slash more tariffs and improve market access to US products on “mutually beneficial” terms. Sources admitted that the announcement of a reciprocal tariff in the midst of BTA talks is unusual, but New Delhi is hopeful of addressing the concerns on “trade and tariff,” which forms part of a “multi-faceted and robust trade partnership” between the US and India.
“This visit reflects the United States’ continued commitment to advancing a productive and balanced trade relationship with India,” the US embassy spokesperson said.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington last month, India and the U.S. pledged to more than double bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 and to negotiate the first phase of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025.
In 2023, the total U.S.-India bilateral trade in goods and services reached USD 190.08 billion, comprising USD 123.89 billion in goods and USD 66.19 billion in services. That year, India's merchandise exports to the U.S. totaled USD 83.77 billion, while imports stood at USD 40.12 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of USD 43.65 billion in favor of India.
“We value our ongoing engagement with the government of India on trade and investment matters and look forward to continuing these discussions in a constructive, equitable, and forward-looking manner,” the US embassy spokesperson said.
President Trump, who has referred to India as the "tariff king," has repeatedly talked about imposing reciprocal tariffs on the country.
“I have a very good relationship with India, but the only problem I have with India is that they are one of the highest tariffing nations in the world. I believe they are probably going to lower those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us,” Trump said in an interview with US-based Breitbart News last week.
