US President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed confidence that Washington and New Delhi would finalise a trade agreement, citing his personal rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite years of tariff disputes.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump described Modi as a “good friend” and said their relationship could help push trade talks forward.
“I like your Prime Minister a lot. He is a good friend of mine, and we get along well. We have a good relationship,” Trump said while responding to questions on US-India trade ties. He suggested that the relationship between the two leaders could help resolve outstanding issues.
Trump also referred to past trade imbalances, alleging that India had imposed high tariffs on American goods.
“For years, India took advantage of the United States. They charged us tremendous tariffs and paid nothing. Now it is the exact reverse and we are making a lot of money with India,” he said.
Despite these concerns, the US President struck an optimistic tone on the outcome of negotiations.
“But we will get to a deal,” Trump said, signalling that both sides remain engaged in finding common ground.
Trump’s remarks come days after officials from both countries concluded four days of trade talks in New Delhi, held from June 1 to June 4.
The US delegation was led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch, while India’s team was headed by Darpan Jain, additional secretary in the Department of Commerce.
Following the finalisation of the framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA), both sides are now working to conclude the details of an interim trade pact while continuing negotiations on the broader deal.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday that India and the US had finalised most elements of the first phase of the BTA, with discussions now focused on a few remaining issues, which he described as “commas and full stops”.
Meanwhile, the US Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed additional import duties of 12.5 per cent on 54 countries, including India, over their alleged failure to prohibit goods made with forced labour from entering their markets.
The proposal comes after investigations into 60 countries for not imposing or effectively enforcing restrictions on imports linked to forced labour, according to the USTR.
"The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable.
This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field," US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer said in a statement. "We will no longer tolerate this disparity," he said.
The USTR said 54 economies, including India, China, Japan, Brazil, Australia, the UK and Saudi Arabia, have failed to introduce and effectively implement prohibitions on imports produced with forced labour.
(With inpputs from ANI)
