India, US strengthen trade ties through ‘Very Active’ negotiations, says Jaishankar

India and the US are engaged in "active and intense" trade negotiation talks and the Trump administration has shown more willingness to commit to a deeper partnership with New Delhi in strategic areas such as defence, energy and technology, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

India-US Trade Negotiations Underway

Jaishankar, while addressing a function organized by Asia Society, asserted that there is a "strong business case" for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with America but refused to prejudge the results of ongoing negotiations between Indian negotiators and an American visiting team headed by assistant trade representative Brendan Lynch. His remarks came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's warning of reciprocal tariffs from April 2.

High-Level Trade Discussions

Accepting the necessity of balancing tariffs and US subsidies in key sectors like agriculture in any trade agreement, Jaishankar stated he was sure Indian negotiators understood the interests of the country and would seal the "best possible deal for us". Jaishankar, who was taking part in a discussion with Asia Society president Kyung-wha Kang, a former South Korean foreign minister, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump had a "very open discussion" on trade during their meeting in Washington last month and this resulted in their agreeing to sign a BTA by the fall of 2025.