India to seek exemption from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs in trade talks with US

The Indian government plans to request an exemption from President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs during talks with US officials arriving in the country on Tuesday to discuss a bilateral trade agreement, Bloomberg cited sources familiar with the matter as saying.

US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, will visit India from March 25-29 along with a delegation of US government officials, the US embassy in New Delhi said in a statement Monday.

Lynch’s visit comes days ahead of coming into force of reciprocal tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump.

The senior US trade official is expected to hold talks with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal besides meeting a number of senior Indian officials, it is learnt.

Indian officials in New Delhi are set to push for relief from the reciprocal tariffs set to take effect on April 2, according to sources familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity due to the private nature of the discussions.

Both sides are expected to explore a framework for a bilateral trade agreement, paving the way for formal negotiations, government officials said. In addition to trade discussions, Lynch is also likely to meet India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during the visit, they added.
His visit to India comes days after Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal was in the US for trade talks.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had said that he had a “forward-looking” discussion with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on a mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement.

India on Friday said its negotiations with Washington are underway to firm a framework for a bilateral trade pact that would address issues relating to levies and market access.
India remains engaged with the US Administration at “various levels” to arrive at a mutually beneficial trade agreement, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

The US president’s tariff tussle has stoked fears of a global trade war with many countries already announcing counter-measures to deal with it.

Following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump in Washington DC last month, the two sides announced to negotiate the first tranche of the BTA by the fall of 2025.

In line with his “America First” policy, Trump earlier this month announced reciprocal tariffs on its partners and other nations that impose higher levies on imports from the US.
It will come into effect on April 2.

With inputs from agencies