<p>New Delhi: An Indian delegation will visit Washington next week to resume talks on the India-US bilateral trade agreement, for which the framework was announced in February, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Wednesday. </p><p>The delegation will be led by India’s chief negotiator Darpan Jain, who is a senior IAS officer from Karnataka cadre and currently serving as an additional secretary in the Department of Commerce. The delegation will also include the deputy chief negotiator and other track leads.</p><p>According to Agrawal, the chief negotiator-level talks will be held from April 20 to 22.</p><p>“Indian team led by chief negotiator will be visiting the US from 20th of this month. The negotiating teams will be meeting in person after a gap of about 3–4 months. They have been engaging virtually in the meantime,” Agrawal told reporters. </p><p>After multiple rounds of talks, India and the US in February this year released a framework for an interim trade agreement promising to substantially reduce tariffs. </p>.India, US reschedule chief negotiators meeting on interim trade deal.<p>Under the interim framework the US has agreed to lower tariffs on the majority of Indian goods from 50 per cent to 18 per cent while India has also agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on the majority of American products.</p><p>However, the tariff landscape changed after the US Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump administration’s so-called reciprocal tariffs. </p><p>“We are looking at finalising the legal agreement, which is a logical follow-up of the joint statement released on 7th February. There is a need for further discussions and follow-up engagement to take this forward,” Agrawal said.</p><p>“India and the US will work together to finalise timelines and next steps as part of the ongoing engagement,” he added.</p><p>Referring to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Section 301 investigation, which alleges India and several other countries of “unfair” trade practices, Agrawal said, “the US has initiated investigations involving several countries. Both sides will sit together and discuss how these issues need to be structured and addressed.”</p>
<p>New Delhi: An Indian delegation will visit Washington next week to resume talks on the India-US bilateral trade agreement, for which the framework was announced in February, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Wednesday. </p><p>The delegation will be led by India’s chief negotiator Darpan Jain, who is a senior IAS officer from Karnataka cadre and currently serving as an additional secretary in the Department of Commerce. The delegation will also include the deputy chief negotiator and other track leads.</p><p>According to Agrawal, the chief negotiator-level talks will be held from April 20 to 22.</p><p>“Indian team led by chief negotiator will be visiting the US from 20th of this month. The negotiating teams will be meeting in person after a gap of about 3–4 months. They have been engaging virtually in the meantime,” Agrawal told reporters. </p><p>After multiple rounds of talks, India and the US in February this year released a framework for an interim trade agreement promising to substantially reduce tariffs. </p>.India, US reschedule chief negotiators meeting on interim trade deal.<p>Under the interim framework the US has agreed to lower tariffs on the majority of Indian goods from 50 per cent to 18 per cent while India has also agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on the majority of American products.</p><p>However, the tariff landscape changed after the US Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump administration’s so-called reciprocal tariffs. </p><p>“We are looking at finalising the legal agreement, which is a logical follow-up of the joint statement released on 7th February. There is a need for further discussions and follow-up engagement to take this forward,” Agrawal said.</p><p>“India and the US will work together to finalise timelines and next steps as part of the ongoing engagement,” he added.</p><p>Referring to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Section 301 investigation, which alleges India and several other countries of “unfair” trade practices, Agrawal said, “the US has initiated investigations involving several countries. Both sides will sit together and discuss how these issues need to be structured and addressed.”</p>