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Indo-US Partnership
India and the US teams have concluded the fifth round of talks for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) in Washington on July 17, an official said. The negotiations were held for four days (July 14-17) in Washington. "The Indian team is coming back," the official said. India's chief negotiator and special secretary in the department of commerce Rajesh Agrawal leads the team for negotiations. These deliberations are important as both sides are looking at finalising an interim trade deal before August 1, which marks the end of the suspension period of the Trump tariffs imposed on dozens of countries including India (26 per cent). On April 2 this year, US President Donald Trump announced these high reciprocal tariffs. The implementation of high tariff was immediately suspended for 90 days till July 9 and later till August 1 as America is negotiating trade deals with a number of countries. Issues related to agriculture and automobiles are learnt to have figured during the fif
India is trying to negotiate and finalize a trade agreement with the US, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal said on Thursday. Agrawal is also the chief negotiator of the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement. The aim is to conclude the first phase of this pact by fall (September-October) of this year. Before that, the two countries are looking to finalise an interim trade agreement. Agrawal said that India has so far implemented more than 14 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with 26 countries. "Now we are integrating with major markets also... we just concluded an agreement with the UK, we are in an advanced stage of negotiations with the European Union, we are trying to negotiate and finalize a deal with the USA," he said here at an event on export logistics. India, he said, is also negotiating trade pacts with Latin American countries including Chile and Peru. "We have done (trade pact) with Australia and UAE. We are in negotiations with New Zealand
India should take cues from the US-UK trade pact and exercise caution while negotiating an agreement with America to ensure that the deal is reciprocal, balanced, and not driven solely by political considerations, economic think tank GTRI said on Saturday. The limited trade deal announced between the US and UK on May 8 offers clues about the kind of trade arrangements Washington may pursue with other major partners, most notably India, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. A closer look reveals that while the UK has made sweeping tariff concessions to America, the US has offered far less in return, it added. "If the UK-US deal sets the template, India can expect growing US pressure to finalise a mini-deal of its own - focused on tariff cuts and key strategic commitments rather than a full free trade agreement (FTA) that may come much later," the think tank said. It also cautioned that India may be asked to reduce tariffs on a basket of sensitive agricultural products, .
India and the US are looking at an "early mutual wins" before finalising the first phase of the proposed bilateral trade agreement, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. Chief negotiators of both the countries concluded a three-day talks in Washington last week. During the meetings in Washington, the teams deliberated on wide-ranging subjects including tariff (related to goods) and non-tariff matters. "The team discussed the pathway for concluding the first tranche of the mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement by fall (September-October) of 2025, including through opportunities for early mutual wins," it said in a statement. While productive sectoral expert level engagements have taken place virtually, in-person engagements are planned from May end.
India should accelerate discussions for the proposed bilateral trade agreement with the US as the deal could help secure preferential market access, improve investor protections, and encourage technology partnerships between the two countries, experts said on Monday. They also said that the pact is critical for India to address long-standing non-tariff barriers in sectors like chemicals, telecom equipment, and medical devices, which were explicitly flagged in the US tariff statement. Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for standards and testing protocols could be a strategic step forward in reducing regulatory friction and improving market access in these sensitive sectors, they added. Even though the new US tariffs might put short-term pressure on India's key export sectors, the broader strategic landscape offers significant long-term advantages, Rudra Kumar Pandey, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, said. He said that India can leverage its differential tariff exposure,
India's apex exporters' body, FIEO, stated on Thursday that the 26 per cent tariffs or import duties announced by US President Donald Trump on India will undoubtedly affect domestic players. However, India is much better placed than many other countries, said Ajay Sahai, Director General and CEO of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). He expressed hope that the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), currently being negotiated between the two countries, would be concluded at the earliest, as it would provide relief from these reciprocal tariffs. We have to assess the impact, but looking at the reciprocal tariffs imposed on other countries, we are in a lower band. We are much better placed compared to our key competitors such as Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, etc. We will definitely be affected by the tariffs, but we are much better placed than many others, Sahai told PTI. The US President highlighted the high tariffs charged by India on American products as
India should enhance its foreign trade under bilateral trade agreements rather than multilateral deals and protect its national interest, especially that of the farmers and small entreprenuers, while negotiating with the US, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) said on Monday. The SJM's national council passed a resolution in this regard at its meeting in Chhattisgarh, the RSS affiliate said in a statement. The two-day meeting held in Raipur, which deliberated on a host of issues, including strengthening India's economy amid a changing geopolitical scenario and the Donald Trump administration's policy of reciprocal tariffs, concluded on Monday. "After taking over as US president, Donald Trump has launched a frontal attack on the global free trade system by announcing his intent to impose higher tariffs (on reciprocal basis) on imports from many countries around the world," the resolution said. The move is intended to bring back manufacturing to the US so that the issue of unemployment
India should withdraw from all negotiations with the US and prepare to engage with the Trump administration in the same way as countries like China and Canada are doing, economic think tank GTRI said on Saturday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Founder, Ajay Srivastava said the US is exerting heavy pressure on India to accept trade demands that largely favour American interests. US President Donald Trump and his officials have criticized India mostly by using incorrect data, he said. "Trump is insulting India publicly using wrong data. No balanced outcome is possible in such circumstances. India should withdraw from all negotiations and prepare to deal with them like other countries are doing," Srivastava said. Against US tariffs, China and Canada have announced retaliatory measures. On Friday, Trump claimed that India had agreed to cut tariffs on American imports after his administration "exposed" what he called unfair trade practices. "This is patently incorrect and
Bipartisan support and cooperation on security and defense is the most important dimension of India-US partnership, a top Indian American defense leader said amidst presidential transition. In an interview with PTI, Dr Vivek Lall, Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation, said One of the most important strategic partnerships of the 21st century is that of India and the United States. One of the most important dimensions of this alliance is bipartisan support and cooperation on security and defense, he said. In Jun 2016, the world's largest unmanned deal was advocated by the then president Donald Trump and it was concluded by his successor Joe Biden this year. It is a reflection of the bipartisan support that this relationship's defense and security aspects enjoys, he said. As the capitals of large, vibrant democracies, Washington DC and New Delhi are natural partners and share many of the same broad goals for peace, stability and security throughout the globe, Lall sa
Hero MotoCorp and its US-based partner Zero Motorcycles are in the advanced stage of developing a mid-sized performance segment electric motorcycle, according to a top company executive. California-based Zero Motorcycles specialises in electric motorcycles and powertrains. In September 2022, Hero MotoCorp's board approved an equity investment of up to USD 60 million in the company. In 2023 the companies announced collaboration for the development of premium electric bikes. "As far as EV motorcycles ... we are developing in partnership with Zero Motorcycles..it (bike) will be coming in the middle-weight segment," Hero MotoCorp CEO Niranjan Gupta said in an analyst call. He further said: "I would say it's in the advanced stage. We haven't announced the timeline as yet, but we would be looking at something which would not be too far off." The bike will come in the performance segment, Gupta stated. The company is also expanding its electric scooter range covering multiple price segme
Asserting that the relationship between India and the US is built on a strong foundation, the White House has expressed confidence that it can navigate the ongoing crisis surrounding bribery charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. At her daily news conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that the administration is aware of the charges against Adani. Adani has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay over USD 250 million (about Rs 2,100 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts. Obviously we're aware of these allegations, and I would have to refer you to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and DOJ (Department of Justice) about the specifics of those allegations against the Adani Group, she said. What I will say is on the US and India relationship, we believe that it stands on an extremely strong foundation anchored in ties between our ..