New Delhi: Officials said Indian and U.S. officials will begin three days of personal negotiations in Washington on April 23 to lay the foundation for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA). The negotiations will focus on completing the reference clauses of about 19 chapters, including a 90-day tariff suspension announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, including tariffs, non-declared barriers, rules of origin, customs promotion, goods, services and regulatory issues.
India’s delegation will be led by Rajesh Agrawal, other secretary of the chief negotiator of the Ministry of Commerce, who was appointed as India’s next chamber of commerce on April 18 and will serve on October 1. “Both sides will discuss a pathway to reaching a temporary agreement within the 90th window,” an Indian official said.
The suspension until July 9 temporarily canceled the U.S. duty imposed on April 2, most notably 26% tariffs on Indian goods, which opened up both countries to strengthen negotiations. The official conversation in New Delhi last month, hosted by US assistant USTR Brendan Lynch, laid the foundation for the round.
Commerce Minister Sunil Barthwal urged a quick end to phase one of the agreement in the first phase from September to October, with its long-term goal of reducing bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 from about $191 billion today. In 2024-25, the United States was India’s largest trading partner: exports rose 11.6% to $86.5 billion, imports rose 7.4% to $45.3 billion, and India’s commodity surplus was $41.2 billion.
Negotiators will weigh the U.S. demand for industrial supplies, electric vehicles, wine, petrochemicals, dairy and tree nuts, with India’s push for concessions in labor-intensive fields such as clothing, textiles, gems and jewelry, leather, leather, plastics, chemicals, chemicals, rapeseed, shrimp, shrimp and hotrifture.
The two sides are also exploring measures to simplify customs procedures, coordinate standards, deepen trade in services and increase investment. Successful negotiations may mark an important step in strengthening economic ties and expanding the market access of both companies.
