India sees positive outcome from US trade talks as tariffs loom

India’s trade talks with the US should yield favorable results, a top New Delhi official said, striking an optimistic tone just weeks before US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs kick in.

There is “forward movement” on the talks and they should “see a positive outcome,” Trade Secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters on Monday at a press briefing in New Delhi.

His comments come just days after India’s commerce minister visited the US to meet with Trump administration officials to discuss a bilateral trade deal.

While Barthwal said the talks between the two sides are moving in a “positive direction,” the US President has indicated India could be among nations hit with reciprocal duties, which start April 2.

“India is proactively engaged with the US on a bilateral trade agreement,” Barthwal said.

India has been making concessions to appease Trump, with New Delhi lowering levies on some American goods and pledging more duty cuts. The two nations have agreed to negotiate the first tranche of the proposed trade deal by the fall of this year.

The world’s fastest-growing major economy is also trying to hammer out free trade agreements with other major trading partners. The EU and India aim to conclude a deal this year, while the UK and the South Asian nation tried to revive long-running trade negotiations earlier this year.

India is “very openly engaging with rest of the world,” Barthwal said. “We feel that this openness will help in growing our trade. We are quite open, engaged and transparent about it.”

At the same briefing, another trade official said that India is mulling imposing a so-called safeguard duty on steel, an anti-dumping measure that will help protect its domestic industry. Earlier this month, major US trading partners were hit by Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.