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Informist, Monday, Mar. 24, 2025

NEW DELHI – US government officials, including Assistant Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, will be in India from Tuesday to Saturday to discuss the proposed multi-sectoral bilateral trade agreement, the Indian commerce ministry as well as the US embassy said on Monday. Prime Minister Naredra Modi and US President Donald Trump, after a meeting in Washington, had agreed to negotiate a trade deal in February. 

"As directed by the leaders of the two countries, India remains committed to working with the US side in the trade and economic domains to enhance prosperity and innovation in both India and the US, and deepen supply chain integration between the two countries," the commerce ministry said. "We look forward to productive and constructive discussions with the incoming US delegation to expand and deepen our bilateral trade and economic ties in a mutually beneficial manner."

The US embassy also said that the visit reflects Washington's continued commitment to advancing a productive and balanced trade relationship with India. "We value our ongoing engagement with the government of India on trade and investment matters and look forward to continuing these discussions in a constructive, equitable, and forward-looking manner," the embassy added.

The Indian government is counting on the bilateral trade agreement to safeguard the economy from the effect of the reciprocal tariffs that the US has proposed to impose from Apr. 2. This can significantly impact India's export growth as the US is India's top export destination, with a share of 17% in total merchandise exports. In 2023-24 (Apr-Mar), India exported goods worth $77.52 billion to the US with a trade surplus of $35.32 billion. 

Under the trade deal, India and the US aim to expand market access, reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, and also deepen supply chain integration. Both the sides are currently engaged in finalising the scope of the proposed multi-sectoral bilateral trade agreement. The two countries aim to launch the first tranche of the agreement by the fall of 2025.  End

US$1 = INR 85.64

Reported by Kuldeep Singh and Krity Ambey

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

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