India-US BTA: Indian team to visit Washington from April 20-22

An Indian delegation from the commerce ministry will visit Washington DC to hold further talks on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US and discuss the future course of the deal following the US Supreme Court striking down the reciprocal tariffs.
 
The team headed by India’s chief negotiator, Darpan Jain, is scheduled to hold talks with US counterparts from April 20 to 22. The delegation will also include the deputy chief negotiator and other track leads to take forward overall discussions on the larger BTA.
 
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said the negotiating teams will be meeting in person after a gap of about three to four months. “They have been engaging virtually in the meantime. We are looking at finalising the legal agreement, which is a logical follow-up to the joint statement released on February 7. There is a need for further discussions and follow-up engagement to take this forward,” he said.
 
The US has also initiated investigations involving several countries, including India, under Section 301 of the Trade Act. “Both sides will sit together and discuss how these issues need to be structured and addressed,” he said.
 
India and the US will work together to finalise timelines and next steps as part of the ongoing engagement.
 
According to sources, India has submitted its response to the request for consultation by the US Trade Representative.
 
Sources underlined that India stands by the BTA with the US, but given the changed circumstances around the tariffs, it has to be seen how the deal is structured and what issues are to be addressed. Since the tariffs are no longer there, the agreement will have to be recalibrated to assess the commitments by the US. “The team is going with an open mind,” sources underlined.
 
Since the US reciprocal tariffs were struck down by the US Supreme Court on February 20, the Trump Administration has issued Executive Orders imposing 10% tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act on certain products from all countries with effect from February 24.
 
While there have been virtual discussions between India and the US in the interim, there has not been any in-person meeting. “Every other country is now recalibrating its earlier agreement, so India is also looking at what will be a legal agreement and the trade-offs,” the source explained.
 
In FY26, the US remained India’s top trading partner with total merchandise exports of $87.31 billion, slightly higher than $86.51 billion in FY25. Imports from the US also increased marginally to $52.9 billion in FY26 from $45.63 billion in FY25. Sources said the higher imports were led by energy and LPG imports from the US and highlighted that India’s trade surplus has reduced slightly.