‘Intensifying efforts to achieve early conclusion’: India-US trade talks conclude after 7 hours amid Trump’s tariff war

Trade talks between India and the United States concluded in New Delhi on Tuesday (Sep 16), marking the first round of negotiations after US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. Following the talks, the Ministry of Commerce of India said in a statement that the discussions held between the representatives from New Delhi and Washington were “positive”, adding that intensified efforts were being taken to “achieve early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement”.

“Acknowledging the enduring importance of bilateral trade between India and the U.S., the discussions were positive and forward looking covering various aspects of the trade deal. It was decided to intensify efforts to achieve early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement,” the ministry said in a statement.

Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, who is leading the US team of officials, arrived in New Delhi on Monday night. Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Rajesh Agrawal, was leading the Indian side during the day-long talks.

Officials noted that the recent talks should not be seen as the sixth round of negotiations, but as a precursor. The talks were originally scheduled to take place between August 25-29, but were postponed after Trump imposed additional tariffs on India.

India-US trade ties

The talks came days after relations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump seemed to warm up to each other. The two nations saw a strain in ties after Trump imposed additional tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil and “unfair” trade practices.

The US administration officials have repeatedly targeted India, criticising its “very high tariffs”.

A day earlier, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro accused India of “making money off us via unfair trade” and using “that money to buy Russian oil,” which Moscow uses to “buy weapons” for its war in Ukraine.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in an interview on Saturday with Axios also criticised India’s high tariffs on American products, saying that “India brags that they have 1.4 billion people. Why won’t 1.4 billion people buy one bushel of US corn? Doesn’t that rub you the wrong way that they sell everything to us and they won’t buy our corn. They put tariffs on everything.” He further warned New Delhi to reduce tariffs or have a “tough time doing business” with the US.