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Nikita Yadav - BBC News, Delhi
Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 3:18 PM 3 min read
Washington and Delhi are "very close" to finalising a commercialized deal, US President Donald Trump has said, arsenic high-level talks betwixt the 2 sides continue.
"We're precise adjacent to a woody with India wherever they unfastened it [the market] up," Trump told reporters astatine the White location connected Wednesday.
Later successful the day, helium reiterated that the woody with India was "very close" erstwhile asked astir upcoming commercialized agreements successful an interrogation with broadcaster Real America's Voice.
India and the US person been locked successful aggravated negotiations implicit the past fewer months, aiming to scope an statement earlier steep tariffs footwear in.
Trump had archetypal announced 27% tariffs connected Indian goods successful 2 April arsenic portion of a wider commercialized argumentation move. While the tariffs were initially paused until 9 July, the US aboriginal extended the deadline to 1 August.
An Indian delegation is successful the US this week for discussions connected the agreement, Reuters reported, citing sources successful the Indian government.
Last month, a squad of Indian officials extended their enactment successful Washington for different circular of talks, raising questions astir what was holding up the agreement.
Both sides person sounded optimistic astir the deal. On Tuesday, Trump signalled a imaginable breakthrough, saying that the US would summation "access" to the Indian marketplace arsenic portion of the agreement.
Suggesting that the woody with India was pursuing a akin way to a caller statement with Indonesia, wherever Jakarta granted afloat entree to American companies Trump said: "India is fundamentally moving on that aforesaid line. We are going to person entree to India."
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Is the 'big, beautiful' India-US commercialized woody successful trouble?
Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said this week that talks are progressing astatine a accelerated pace. However, a mates of weeks ago, helium had cautioned that India did not negociate commercialized agreements based connected deadlines and would lone participate deals that served its nationalist interest.
While the 2 sides person been negotiating for months, cardinal sticking points persist, peculiarly implicit cultivation access, car components and tariffs connected Indian steel.
For years, Washington has pushed for greater entree to India's workplace sector, seeing it arsenic a large untapped market. But India has fiercely protected it, citing nutrient security, livelihoods and interests of millions of tiny farmers.
Until recently, the US was India's largest trading partner, with bilateral commercialized reaching $190bn. Trump and Modi person acceptable a people to much than treble this fig to $500bn.
India has already reduced tariffs connected a scope of goods - including Bourbon whiskey and motorcycles - but the US continues to tally a $45bn (£33bn) commercialized shortage with India, which Trump is keen to reduce.
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