New York: Trade negotiations between India and the US are going well and will conclude sooner than expected, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said.
Last month, India and the US failed to announce a limited trade deal in New York during the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, due to still prevailing differences over the package including access Washington has sought to Indian markets for medical devices, such as stents and knee implants, information and communications technology (ICT) products and dairy products with the removal of price caps. India is keen on a fair and reasonable trade deal in which its request for market access is secured while also addressing the trade deficit issue raised by the US. “I think the trade talks would conclude sooner. The talks are going on very well. Yes, we couldn’t conclude it before the Prime Minister’s visit (to the US) happened. But both sides are engaged with all commitment,” Sitharaman said here on Tuesday.
During a question and answer session that followed, Sitharaman was asked about the trade talks between New Delhi and Washington. Trade tensions between India and the US have been rising with President Donald Trump, championing his ‘America First’ policy, complaining that tariffs imposed by New Delhi on American products were “no longer acceptable” to his country. Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are continuing their efforts to resolve some of the trade differences. (PTI)
