New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) A team of around a dozen Indian officials is set to arrive in Washington, D.C. on April 20 for a three-day round of negotiations with US authorities, marking the next step in discussions on the first phase of a proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA).

The talks, scheduled from April 20 to 22, will be led by India’s chief negotiator Darpan Jain, an additional secretary in the Department of Commerce, along with representatives from the customs department and the external affairs ministry.

The upcoming discussions come against the backdrop of significant shifts in the US tariff regime.

Following a ruling by the US Supreme Court against sweeping tariffs imposed earlier by President Donald Trump under emergency powers, the US administration introduced a temporary 10 per cent tariff on imports from all countries for 150 days beginning February 24.

This move has altered the trade landscape and is expected to prompt both sides to revisit the framework of the agreement, which was initially released on February 7.

Officials indicated that the revised tariff environment could necessitate a recalibration of the proposed deal.

Earlier, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from a high of 50 per cent, including the removal of certain punitive duties linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil.

However, the imposition of a uniform 10 per cent tariff across trading partners has diluted India’s relative advantage under the earlier framework, making renegotiation essential.

In addition to tariff-related concerns, the talks are also expected to address two ongoing unilateral investigations launched by the US Trade Representative under Section 301 of US trade law.

India has strongly rejected the allegations in these probes, arguing that they lack sufficient justification and has called for their termination.

The original framework of the BTA included India’s proposal to significantly reduce or eliminate tariffs on a wide range of US industrial goods and agricultural products.

These included items such as soybean oil, tree nuts, fruits, wine and spirits, and animal feed products.

India had also expressed its intent to increase imports from the US, targeting purchases worth $500 billion over five years across sectors such as energy, aviation, technology, precious metals, and coking coal.

–IANS

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