India announced that it is working with the US to finalize a bilateral trade Pact agreement by the fall, even as US President Donald Trump temporarily paused new reciprocal tariffs for 90 days. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that India has been engaging constructively with the Trump administration to address trade issues and is focused on reaching an agreement soon.
The US had introduced a 10% baseline tariff on April 5, followed by a 27% reciprocal tariff on April 9. While these tariffs were paused for most countries, they were increased to 125% for China. Trump asserted that international leaders are keen to secure trade deals with the US, using hyperbolic language to emphasize their eagerness to negotiate.
When asked about Trump’s language, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is carefully analyzing the situation and gathering feedback from exporters and industry representatives. He emphasized that India remains focused on resolving trade concerns through discussions.
Jaishankar emphasized that every nation is formulating its strategy to tackle US trade policies. He noted that India’s strategy is to overcome these issues by sealing a bilateral trade agreement. He also noted that India is among the few countries to have reached an understanding in principle with the US under Trump’s second term. On April 7, Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and stressed the importance of finalizing the agreement quickly.
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