Page 6 - Trade Talks

Coercive bilateralism: New world order defined by how trade deals are made

For India, the challenge is to strike a balance between tactical necessity and economic priorities

CBAM exemption may not offer much relief to Indian steel MSMEs: Experts

50-tonne threshold seen as too low to ease burden; experts call for green transition or market diversification

US-Indonesia trade deal shows risks of pressure, India must be wary: GTRI

The US-Indonesia trade pact reflects how Washington's pressure tactics can compel countries to cut tariffs, commit to large purchases, and loosen regulatory control, and India should tread cautiously in ongoing trade talks to avoid similar concessions, economic think tank GTRI said on Wednesday. Indonesia gave up far more than it gained, removing 99 per cent of its tariffs on US goods, agreeing to buy USD 22.7 billion in American products, and weakening important rules that protected its industries, food safety, and digital space, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. "India now faces similar US demands, including allowing remanufactured goods, opening up agriculture and dairy, accepting genetically modified (GM) feed, and adopting US rules on digital trade and product standards," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said. He added that accepting American standards on cars, medical devices, or food, without any guarantee of reciprocity, would put India's consumers at ...

India-US trade deal negotiations pushed beyond Donald Trump's deadline

A team of officials from Washington DC will visit India for a sixth round of negotiation, around a month after negotiators from both sides wrapped up the fifth round of talks in Washington last week

Aug 1 is hard tariff deadline, but US open to talks: Commerce Secy Lutnick

India-US trade talks continue with agriculture remaining a major sticking point for both nations as they try to reach an interim deal before the August 1 deadline

India, US conclude fifth round of talks on proposed trade pact: Official

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 needs to be careful, clever in trade talks with US: Raghuram Rajan

India needs to be 'very careful and clever' while negotiating trade agreements with the US, especially with regard to the agriculture sector, which is heavily subsidised by developed countries, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said on Friday. In an interview with PTI Videos, Rajan said India's economic growth has sort of settled in the range of 6-7 per cent, and a fraction of percentage point may be affected by the global trade uncertainties. "I think where it is much more sort of difficult (trade negotiations) is in areas such as agriculture, where every country subsidises its producers, and our producers may be relatively smaller, may have somewhat lower subsidies... the kind of harm that unconstrained flow of agricultural products into the country may create problems for them," he said. Earlier this week, the Indian team was in Washington for the fifth round of negotiations for the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). "For example, can we encourage more foreign direct ...

India should negotiate trade deal with US on its own terms: EAC-PM chief

India should negotiate a trade agreement with the US on its own terms, keeping in view the national interest, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) Chairman S Mahendra Dev has said. Dev expressed hope that India will have an advantage over other countries on tariffs once the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are signed, and it would boost exports. "The overall approach of India is negotiating trade agreements with countries on its own terms and keeping in view the national interests. The negotiations are going on and the ultimate decision depends on the mutual interests of both countries," he told PTI. US President Donald Trump has said the proposed trade deal with India would be on the lines of what America has finalised with Indonesia on Tuesday. Under the US-Indonesia trade pact, the Southeast Asian nation will provide complete access to its market to US products, while Indonesian goods would attract a 19 per cent duty in America. In addition, Indonesia has commit

Brazil's Lula open to talks with Trump amid trade spat, says minister

Brazil's Lula open to talks with Trump amid trade spat, says minister

We will have access to India, says Trump after striking Indonesia deal

Trump announces full US market access and reduced tariff for Indonesia and says India is working along the same line in securing a trade deal

Importers delay clearances for US dry fruits to avoid high import duties

Indian dry fruit importers are expecting a cut of nearly 50 per cent in import duties on US-origin shipments and are delaying customs clearances to avoid losses if duties are reduced after clearance

India-US trade talks moving fast as fresh deadline nears: Piyush Goyal

India and US negotiators are in Washington for intense discussions, with the interim trade pact facing a critical deadline and pressure from the US on tariff concessions

Heavy reliance on US forces govt to put up with Donald Trump's tantrums

Different countries have reacted differently to Trump's tantrums, but the global markets have remained reasonably steady, although nobody is sure of what he will do next

Trade agreement between India, four-nation EFTA to kick in from Oct

Deal with European bloc was signed in March 2024; it's projected to get India $100 bn foreign direct investment

India clears air of uncertainty, signals trade deal talks with US still on

Negotiators to head to Washington again to seal a pact before August 1

Looking to speed up talks to review Asean trade pact: Piyush Goyal

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal discusses the ongoing review of the India-ASEAN trade pact with Malaysia's T Zafrul Aziz, highlighting challenges and the need for fair trade and a comprehensive deal

B'desh proposes to increase imports from US on first day of tariff talks

Bangladesh has proposed to import more cotton, oil, Boeing aircraft, soybeans, etc from the United States, a Bangladeshi official who participated in the talks said

Sri Lanka's apparel industry alarmed by US tariff of 30%, hopes for cut

The US takes about 40 per cent of apparel exports, helping to pull in $1.9 billion last year and make the industry Sri Lanka's third largest earner of foreign exchange, employing 300,000 people

Donald Trump's tariff 'blank check' must be curbed: Businesses to US court

A group of small businesses that won an order finding President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs illegal urged a federal appeals court to uphold that decision and block the trade levies

Best of BS Opinion: US trade deal or not, India must cast its net wider

Today's pieces cover a wide expanse, from India's trade deals with the rest of the world to China's attempt to trip Indian manufacturing, to the world's struggle to enforce rules