Home Latest News India, U.S. Resume Trade Talks

India, U.S. Resume Trade Talks

by AFP

Tolga Akmen—AFP

Ongoing discussions come amid looming tariff war between both countries

U.S. and Indian trade teams started negotiations on Friday as tensions mount over protectionist measures taken by both sides.

While India and the United States have become increasingly close in recent years, U.S. President Donald Trump took a swipe at the giant South Asian nation on Twitter this week, saying that India’s tariffs were “no longer acceptable.”

Washington removed India from a list of countries that got duty-free access for more than $6 billion of imports to the U.S. earlier this year. The move came on the back of higher U.S. tariffs on Indian steel and aluminum.

In response, an angry New Delhi imposed higher duties on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts last month.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross earlier criticized India’s trade policies and tariff rules, saying they posed a big impediment to attracting foreign investment.

As the sparring between the two sides heated up, Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the talks when they met in Osaka, on the sidelines of June’s G20 Summit. Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Christopher Wilson met Indian commerce industry officials in Delhi on Friday, ahead of a meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, ministry sources said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said Thursday that all decisions in the talks would aim to keep relations “positive.”

“We have to keep in mind the bigger picture and within that bigger picture try to address all the issues which are on the table,” Kumar told a briefing.

India-U.S. trade was worth $142.1 billion in 2018 with the United States $24.2 billion in deficit. The U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum has predicted trade will go up to $238 billion by 2025.

Related Articles

Leave a Comment