India, US to hold first in-person trade talks in 4 months from today

India and the US will resume in-person negotiations on their proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) from April 20, with a senior Indian delegation travelling to Washington for a three-day round of talks aimed at recalibrating the framework amid shifting global tariff dynamics.

The meeting will mark the first face-to-face engagement between the two sides in nearly four months, during which discussions continued virtually. The Indian team, led by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, will include officials from the commerce, customs and external affairs ministries.

“We are looking at finalising the legal agreement, which is a logical follow-up to the joint statement of February 7. Further discussions are required to take this forward,” a senior official said.

The talks assume significance as both countries reassess the contours of the proposed pact following changes in the US tariff regime. After the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Washington introduced a temporary 10 per cent tariff on imports from all countries for 150 days beginning February 24.

Officials indicated that the altered tariff landscape could necessitate a reworking of key provisions of the agreement. “The framework may need to be recalibrated and redrafted in light of recent developments,” the official said.

Under the earlier framework, the US had proposed reducing tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent, while India had offered tariff concessions across industrial goods and a wide range of agricultural products.

India has also indicated plans to significantly scale up imports of US energy, aircraft and technology products over the next five years.