India plans to seal trade deal with US by fall 2025: EAM Jaishankar

IANS April 9, 2025 379 views

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has revealed India's ambitious plan to secure a bilateral trade agreement with the United States by fall 2025. This strategic move comes amidst complex trade negotiations and reciprocal tariffs between the two nations. The agreement aims to significantly boost bilateral trade, targeting $500 billion by 2030. Sectoral expert-level engagements are expected to commence virtually, setting the stage for potential in-person negotiations.

"We decided that we will engage the (Donald) Trump administration early on this set of issues" - S. Jaishankar
India plans to seal trade deal with US by fall 2025: EAM Jaishankar
New Delhi, April 9: India is perhaps the only country which has reached an understanding with the United States to ink a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by the fall of this year, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday, as reciprocal tariffs came into effect with India facing 27 per cent tariffs.

Key Points

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India seeks first bilateral trade deal after Trump's presidency

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Negotiations set to begin virtually in coming weeks

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Goal to expand bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030

According to Jaishankar, New Delhi's plan is to solidify a trade deal, as the effects of US reciprocal tariffs are still unknown.

At the 'News 18 Rising Bharat Summit' here, the Union Minister said: "We decided that we will engage the (Donald) Trump administration early on this set of issues and we were very open with them, very constructive with them as they were with us, and what we agreed to do was to try to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement by fall of this year."

Following bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump in Washington DC in February, the two nations announced that they would negotiate the first tranche of the BTA by the fall of 2025.

Jaishankar said: "I think we are the only country after President Trump has assumed presidency the second time, which has actually reached such an understanding in principle."

"In our case, our strategy has a goal. And the goal is to see whether it's possible to actually deal with this situation by concluding a bilateral trade agreement. And I should add that in an interesting way, this has long been our objective," the minister told the gathering.

In a bid to expand their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, India and the US have broadly reached an understanding to finalise the first tranche of BTA by fall 2025.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, sectoral expert-level engagements under the BTA will start virtually in the coming weeks and pave the path for an early negotiating round in person.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
This is great news for Indian exports! A trade deal with the US could open so many opportunities for our manufacturing sector. Fingers crossed the negotiations go smoothly 🤞
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Priya M.
$500 billion target seems ambitious but achievable. Hope the deal includes favorable terms for our IT sector too. The virtual expert meetings are a smart move to speed things up.
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Ankit S.
While I appreciate the effort, I'm concerned about what concessions we might have to make. The 27% tariffs are already hurting some industries. Hope the government protects domestic interests.
S
Sunita R.
Finally some positive trade news! Our relationship with the US has been strengthening across sectors. This deal could be a game-changer for small businesses looking to export. 🇮🇳🇺🇸
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Vikram J.
Interesting that they're doing this in tranches. Smart approach - test the waters with a smaller agreement first before committing to anything too big. Shows pragmatic thinking from both sides.
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Neha P.
The timeline seems tight but achievable. I just hope the negotiations don't get bogged down in bureaucracy. Our trade officials will need to move quickly to meet this fall deadline!

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Tags:
India-US Trade Deal S. Jaishankar Bilateral Trade Agreement Narendra Modi Donald Trump Economic Diplomacy
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