‘Amendments in India-US trade deal factsheet reflect shared understanding’: MEA | India News

The government on Thursday said U.S. revisions to the trade agreement fact sheet brought the document into line with the common understanding reached earlier this month on an interim trade agreement. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized that the India-US Joint Statement issued on February 7, 2026 remains the basis of the agreement.

“The Joint Declaration is the framework and remains the basis for our mutual understanding on this issue,” the MEA said.

“India and the US agreed to a joint statement on the framework of an Interim Agreement on mutual and mutually beneficial trade. This was published on February 7, 2026. The joint statement is the framework and remains the basis of our mutual understanding on this issue. Both parties will now work to implement this framework and finalize the interim agreement. The changes to the US briefing reflect the common understandings contained in the joint statement,” the MEA said.

The statement came after the White House quietly changed the memo a day after publishing it. The original version stated that India had “committed” to purchasing more than US$500 billion worth of American goods, including energy, technology and other products, within a certain period of time.

This language has been softened in the revised version. It now says India “plans to purchase” more US goods, bringing that statement into line with the February 7 joint statement.

Another significant change was the removal of references to “certain pulses” from the list of US agricultural products for which India would reduce or eliminate tariffs. The industry is politically sensitive in India, making the omission notable.

The updated document also removed previous language that said India would eliminate digital services taxes. Instead, he notes that India has committed to negotiating bilateral digital trade rules and discussions on this issue are still ongoing.

India had already abolished the 6 percent equalization tax on digital advertising services effective April 1, 2025.

Regarding tariffs, the framework envisages mutual reductions. The US agreed to reduce tariffs on Indian goods to around 18 percent from previous high levels. In return, India will reduce or eliminate tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and a wide range of American food and agricultural products, except for obsolete pulses.

Speaking at the weekly press conference, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the revised memorandum reflects the understandings contained in the joint statement.

“The fact sheet highlights the joint statement between New Delhi and Washington, which is the basis of the framework created for the bilateral trade agreement,” he said.

The White House first published the memo on February 9, days after the two countries issued what they described as a “historic” joint statement outlining an interim agreement. The document was revised on February 10.

The trade breakthrough came after months of negotiations amid tensions triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Indian goods.

The agreement was first signed by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and later approved by President Trump at Truth Social. The detailed joint statement, published on February 7, lays out the framework for an interim agreement that will precede a broader bilateral trade agreement.

Officials from both sides aim to complete the interim agreement by mid-March 2026, after which tariff reductions and related measures are expected to be implemented.