<p>New Delhi: India and the United States are engaged in constructive talks aimed at reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.</p><p>The comments came after a three-day visit to Washington by an Indian trade delegation led by senior commerce ministry official Darpan Jain for talks with US counterparts.</p>.Randhir Jaiswal succeeds Arindam Bagchi as new MEA spokesperson.<p>"These engagements are ongoing and constructive," spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at a weekly media briefing.</p><p>"Both sides are working towards a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking trade agreement, taking into account each other's concerns and priorities, and to achieve a trade target of $500 billion by 2030," he said.</p><p>That target would be more than double bilateral goods and services trade of about $212 billion in 2024.</p><p>The talks reflect a broader effort by New Delhi and Washington to clinch a trade pact, even as uncertainty over US tariff policy has complicated negotiations.</p><p>Earlier this week, Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said the two sides had nearly finalised the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement and were working through the remaining details, including a mechanism to secure preferential market access for India in the US market relative to its competitors.</p><p>No concrete outcome emerged from the latest round of talks but both sides will continue to engage, a government official said on the condition of anonymity, adding that the Indian delegation was expected to return to New Delhi by early Friday.</p><p>Efforts to frame an interim trade pact, including a proposal to lower US tariffs on Indian goods to about 18 per cent, have been clouded by uncertainty following a US Supreme Court ruling although negotiations are continuing.</p>.'We've seen some reports': MEA responds to Trump sharing letter referring to India as 'hellhole'.<p>Trade analysts and the opposition parties have questioned the government's plans to sign a deal with Washington after President Donald Trump announced a temporary 10 per cent duty on imports from all countries, including India.</p><p>New Delhi is hoping to align any trade deal with Washington's planned changes in June to the so-called Section 301 tariffs, which could reshape duties on key sectors and influence market access.</p>
<p>New Delhi: India and the United States are engaged in constructive talks aimed at reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.</p><p>The comments came after a three-day visit to Washington by an Indian trade delegation led by senior commerce ministry official Darpan Jain for talks with US counterparts.</p>.Randhir Jaiswal succeeds Arindam Bagchi as new MEA spokesperson.<p>"These engagements are ongoing and constructive," spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at a weekly media briefing.</p><p>"Both sides are working towards a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking trade agreement, taking into account each other's concerns and priorities, and to achieve a trade target of $500 billion by 2030," he said.</p><p>That target would be more than double bilateral goods and services trade of about $212 billion in 2024.</p><p>The talks reflect a broader effort by New Delhi and Washington to clinch a trade pact, even as uncertainty over US tariff policy has complicated negotiations.</p><p>Earlier this week, Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said the two sides had nearly finalised the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement and were working through the remaining details, including a mechanism to secure preferential market access for India in the US market relative to its competitors.</p><p>No concrete outcome emerged from the latest round of talks but both sides will continue to engage, a government official said on the condition of anonymity, adding that the Indian delegation was expected to return to New Delhi by early Friday.</p><p>Efforts to frame an interim trade pact, including a proposal to lower US tariffs on Indian goods to about 18 per cent, have been clouded by uncertainty following a US Supreme Court ruling although negotiations are continuing.</p>.'We've seen some reports': MEA responds to Trump sharing letter referring to India as 'hellhole'.<p>Trade analysts and the opposition parties have questioned the government's plans to sign a deal with Washington after President Donald Trump announced a temporary 10 per cent duty on imports from all countries, including India.</p><p>New Delhi is hoping to align any trade deal with Washington's planned changes in June to the so-called Section 301 tariffs, which could reshape duties on key sectors and influence market access.</p>