The Indian response followed Trump once more asserting that India imposes “massive tariffs” and it was “hard to do business with New Delhi.
India and the US’s interests and concerns are under discussion for a trade agreement and it is too early to speak about specifics like tariff cuts, individuals close to the issue said on Saturday, just hours after US President Donald Trump said New Delhi has agreed to lower its duties on US exports.
US President Donald Trump asserted New Delhi has agreed to reduce its levies on American exports (REUTERS) US President Donald Trump asserted New Delhi has agreed to reduce its levies on American exports (REUTERS)
The Indian response followed Trump once again asserting that India imposes “massive tariffs” and it was “restrictive” to conduct business with New Delhi. He also asserted that India had agreed to reduce its tariffs “way down” because the US is “finally exposing them”.
The individuals, who wished to remain anonymous, observed that India and the US committed in February to negotiate the first tranche of a win-win, multi-sector bilateral trade deal by fall 2025 and then launched negotiations for the trade agreement.
Discussions on tariffs and other aspects of trade relations, which were highlighted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington last month, are an ongoing process, the people said.
“It is natural that both countries have their interests and sensitivities. These are legitimate matters for a discussion,” one of the people cited above said. “Since the discussions have just begun, it would be premature to talk about their details.”
Both sides have cited details on different issues as part of the talks and there is a context for every aspect that indicates the interests of the two nations, the people said.
In a speech to the media from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump once again made his repeated assertions that America had been “totally ripped off by nearly every country in the world” in economic and trade issues. He named India, Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union (EU) as nations and groupings that have, allegedly, pursued such practice.
