USTR Jamieson Greer, Piyush Goyal to Hold India-US Trade Pact Talks Next Week
Discussions will focus on finalising the interim trade framework and advancing negotiations on the broader bilateral trade agreement.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal during his visit to India on June 23-24 to discuss issues related to the interim trade agreement and the broader bilateral trade agreement (BTA), Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday.
According to Agrawal, the discussions are expected to focus on giving final touches to the interim framework agreement, which was discussed during the recent visit of the US delegation, while also advancing negotiations on the larger BTA.
"Our expectation is that discussions will be centred around giving final touches to the framework deal, which has been discussed during the visit of their (US) delegation… and also on the larger BTA that has also been under discussions between the two sides," he said.
Greer is expected to arrive in New Delhi on June 22.
Previous Negotiations
Earlier, from June 2-4, an American delegation led by its chief negotiator Brendan Lynch held discussions with Indian officials regarding the finalisation of the agreement.
On June 5, Piyush Goyal said both countries were moving towards resolving the remaining issues in the interim trade agreement and were likely to conclude the "very, very vibrant" first phase of the BTA by the middle of next month.
At the chief negotiators' level, India and the United States discussed a broad range of issues, including:
- Trade in goods
- Non-tariff measures
- Customs
- Trade facilitation
- Economic security alignment
- Other areas of mutual interest
Officials stated that India is seeking to secure tariff advantages over competing countries as part of the proposed agreement.
Section 301 Probe Also Under Discussion
The negotiations come as the United States has proposed an additional 12.5% duty on 54 countries, including India, over alleged failure to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labour in third countries.
The US has also proposed new tariffs on most Indian goods under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974, citing concerns related to forced labour, while conducting another investigation into excess industrial capacity.
Officials said India had been preparing for the possibility of additional tariffs under Section 301 and that both sides are discussing the issue as part of the ongoing trade negotiations.
Agrawal said:
"These are legal probes… We have made our submissions last month and are engaged for further proceedings. We will have clear answers on 301."
Officials indicated that one of India's priorities is obtaining relief from the Section 301 investigations and ensuring tariff treatment comparable with competitor countries.
The discussions are expected to address the full range of trade issues while continuing negotiations on both the interim agreement and the broader bilateral trade pact.