With just days left for the US Govt's reciprocal tariffs to kick in, top US official, assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch will be coming to India on Tuesday. In his 5 day visit, which concludes on 29th March, he will be accompanied by his team of government officials to hold talks with his Indian counterparts. A US release said that the "visit reflects the United States’ continued commitment to advancing a productive and balanced trade relationship with India".

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On February 13th, US President Trump announced his "Fair and Reciprocal Plan", under which he aims to address what he sees as unfair trade imbalances by matching US tariffs to those imposed by trading partners, not just on tariffs but also considering non-tariff barriers like value-added taxes (VAT), subsidies, and regulations. The policy is set to take effect on April 2 and will impact the global trading order.

During the visit of the US trade official, the focus will also be on giving a push to the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), which was announced during PM Modi's visit to the country last month. The US statement added, "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."

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The first tranche of the BTA is planned to be completed by the fall (September) of this year. The agreement seeks to boost bilateral trade—currently valued at over $200 billion annually—to $500 billion by 2030, a goal dubbed "Mission 500." Key objectives include increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and integrating supply chains. 

Earlier this month, India's trade minister Goyal visited the country & held talks with his counterparts, including the US Commerce Secretary and USTR. Trade has been a key focus under Trump's presidency, and he has several times singled out India, along with China, the EU, neighbouring Canada & Mexico on the issue. In the past, he termed India as a "Tariff King" as well.