MUMBAI: India and the United States are set to hold trade discussions in the capital New Delhi on Tuesday, officials and Indian media reports said, as the two countries seek to resolve a tariff row.
The world’s most populous country currently faces steep US tariffs on most of its exports and has so far failed to clinch a trade deal that will ease this burden.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to bump up tariffs on India to 50 percent last month in retaliation for New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil as he seeks to pressure Moscow over the war in Ukraine has also strained ties between the two nations.
But despite the diplomatic chill, the leaders of both countries said recently that they remain committed to continuing negotiations.
Officials will hold in-person discussions on trade on Tuesday, The Indian Express newspaper reported, citing remarks made by commerce ministry official Rajesh Agarwal at a briefing on Monday.
Broadcaster NDTV said Brendan Lynch, assistant trade representative for South and Central Asia, will be part of the US delegation and noted that the talks would merely be a “precursor” to an eventual full-fledged round of negotiations.
The discussions come a week after Trump announced that talks would continue between New Delhi and Washington to address trade barriers.
“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform last week, without offering further details.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in response, said the two nations were “close friends and natural partners” and that teams were working to conclude discussions “at the earliest”.
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