A US delegation, led by Assistant Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, has arrived in Delhi for bilateral trade negotiations with India. The talks, set to continue until Saturday, come ahead of President Donald Trump’s April 2 deadline to impose “reciprocal” tariffs on countries around the world, including India.
According to a statement from the US Embassy, the visit reflects America’s commitment to advancing a balanced trade relationship with India. India’s junior commerce minister, Jitin Prasada, informed parliament that the two nations are working toward a “multi-sector bilateral trade agreement” aimed at increasing market access and reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers.
Since Trump’s presidency began, both nations have engaged in extensive trade negotiations. Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal made an unscheduled visit to the US in March following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s February trip to Washington.
The US, formerly India’s largest trading partner, accounted for $190 billion in bilateral trade. Trump and Modi had set an ambitious goal to more than double this figure to $500 billion. Both countries aim to finalize the first phase of a trade agreement by autumn 2025.
The Trump administration has frequently criticized India for high tariffs, labeling it a “tariff king” and accusing it of abusing trade ties. While India has recently reduced tariffs on products like Bourbon whiskey and motorcycles, it still enjoys a $45 billion trade surplus with the US, and its average tariff of 12% remains significantly higher than the US’s 2%.
Although the exact details of the negotiations have not been disclosed, Reuters reports that India may consider reducing tariffs on more than half of US imports worth $23 billion in an effort to avoid Trump’s tariff measures. Trump had previously advocated for tit-for-tat tariffs but recently hinted that the US may take a less aggressive approach.
