India, US to resume trade talks in late August; no tariff decision yet

India and the United States are set to hold another round of trade negotiations in the latter half of August, as efforts continue to resolve long-pending issues around tariffs and market access. A US delegation is expected to visit India for these talks, according a NDTV Profit report.

Business Today was unable to verify the development independently.

Indian negotiators recently returned from Washington after concluding the fifth round of trade talks. Despite these ongoing efforts, no formal announcements have been made ahead of the crucial August 1 tariff pause deadline. Notably, India has not yet received any official communication from President Donald Trump regarding tariffs, signaling that key decisions are still pending.

The India-US trade relationship has faced several friction points in recent years. The US has raised concerns over India's tariffs on tech products, agricultural goods, and medical devices, while India has pushed back on America's stance on issues like visa restrictions and its withdrawal of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) benefits for Indian exporters in 2019.

While both nations have publicly reiterated their commitment to deepening economic ties, progress on a broader trade deal has been slow. Instead, the focus has shifted to resolving smaller, sector-specific disputes through these rounds of negotiations.

Observers say the upcoming talks will be critical in determining whether both sides can make concessions to avoid the reimposition of tariffs or whether the differences will persist into the next phase of bilateral ties.

The tariff dispute is playing out simultaneously at the WTO. The US imposed safeguard duties of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium back in 2018, later modifying them in 2025. These duties have reportedly affected Indian exports worth $7.6 billion and led to additional US revenue of nearly $3.82 billion. Trump has publicly indicated that the US may offer India tariff rates below 20% in some sectors, but the clock is ticking.