India-US Trade Deal Talks: What Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal Told?
A round of talks regarding a trade agreement between India and the US concluded in New Delhi on Wednesday, involving Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Meetings addressing issues related to the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement had been ongoing for the past two days.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated on Wednesday that the progress of ongoing negotiations for the trade agreement was reviewed during several meetings with US Trade Representative Greer.
Discussions were also held on ways to further strengthen the economic partnership.
Deadline expires on July 24
It is worth noting that the deadline for the 10 percent temporary tariff imposed by the US on India expires on July 24.
In this context, India's priority is to finalize an interim agreement related to the bilateral trade deal before this deadline.
It is worth recalling that at one point, the US had imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on certain Indian products. This was subsequently reduced to 18 percent last February. Following a US Supreme Court ruling, it was further lowered to the current 10 percent.
Commerce Minister Goyal wrote on X, "A round of meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his delegation concluded this morning."
"I appreciate Ambassador Greer's leadership and the sustained efforts of both teams. These efforts have helped steer the negotiations in a positive and forward-looking direction."
It is also noteworthy that Greer's visit follows the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on June 17.