S Jaishankar, Marco Rubio Hold Talks on India-US Trade Ties Amid Tariff Tensions.
Los Angeles/Apr 08, 2025
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/A.Gary Singh
S. Jaishankar, Indian External Affairs Minister and Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State held high-level discussions on Monday, focusing on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), just days after President Donald Trump imposed a 26% tariff on Indian imports.
The meeting marks the first official contact between the two countries following the tariff announcement on April 2. Jaishankar noted the exchange of views on key geopolitical regions including the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and West Asia, and emphasized the urgency of concluding the trade deal.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that both sides reaffirmed the strength of the US-India strategic partnership and discussed ways to build a fair and balanced trade relationship.
The talks build on recent efforts, including the March 26–29 BTA negotiations in New Delhi, where India and the US worked toward finalizing the first tranche of the agreement by fall 2025. Sectoral expert-level discussions are set to begin virtually in the coming weeks, focusing on market access, tariff reduction, and supply chain integration.
These developments also follow Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to Washington last month, signaling momentum in efforts to elevate bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
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