India, US trade team to start three-day talks from December 10: Sources
The visit is vital as India and the US work to finalize the first tranche of the agreement.
“The three-day talks will start on December 10. It will end on December 12 and this is not an official round of talks,” one of the sources said.
The US team will be led by Deputy US Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer.
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This visit of US officials marks their second visit since the imposition of a 25 percent customs duty and an additional penalty of 25 percent on Indian goods entering the American market due to the purchase of Russian crude oil.
US officials last visited India on September 16.
On September 22, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also led an official delegation to the US for trade talks. Goyal also visited Washington in May.
The US’s chief negotiator for the deal is Brendan Lynch, US Deputy Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, while the Indian side is led by Darpan Jain, Joint Secretary of the Department of Commerce.
The talks are also important as Commerce Minister Rajesh Agrawal recently stated that India is hopeful of reaching a framework trade agreement with the US this year; This agreement will be addressed in a way that addresses the tariff issue for the benefit of Indian exporters.
Stating that the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) will take time, Agrawal added that India has entered into long-term negotiations with the USA on a framework trade agreement that will solve the mutual tariff problem faced by Indian exporters.
India and the US are engaged in two parallel negotiations, one on a framework trade agreement that will address tariffs and the other on a comprehensive trade agreement.
In February, leaders of the two countries directed officials to negotiate an agreement.
The first tranche of the pact was planned to be completed by autumn 2025. Six rounds of negotiations have been held so far. The agreement aims to more than double bilateral trade from the current US$191 billion to US$500 billion by 2030.
The US remained India’s largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade value at US$131.84 billion (US$86.5 billion in exports).
The US accounts for approximately 18 percent of India’s total merchandise exports, 6.22 percent of its imports, and 10.73 percent of its total merchandise trade.
According to exporters, the agreement is important because India’s goods exports to the US declined for the second consecutive month in October, falling by 8.58 percent to $6.3 billion due to heavy customs duties imposed by Washington.
