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India and US Push to Finalise Interim Trade Deal as Greer Visits New Delhi

Ministers will try to settle tariff terms that New Delhi says must give its exporters a comparative edge before Washington’s temporary duties end.

Overview

  • U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi for two days of ministerial talks on June 23–24 to put “final touches” on the phase‑1 framework.
  • Indian officials say the framework agreed in February is finalised but cannot be implemented until tariff treatment gives Indian exporters a competitive advantage over regional peers.
  • A U.S. Supreme Court ruling forced Washington to replace its earlier reciprocal tariffs with a temporary 10% duty that expires on July 24, creating a hard deadline for a new tariff regime.
  • The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has opened Section 301 investigations and proposed a 12.5% additional tariff on 54 countries, with public hearings set for early July, adding legal uncertainty to talks.
  • If ministers do not agree before the July deadlines, exporters could face changed or higher duties; the February framework proposed U.S. cuts to about 18% for Indian goods in return for large Indian purchase commitments.