New Delhi— U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that India has proposed a bilateral trade deal with the United States that would eliminate tariffs on a wide range of American goods.
“They are offering us a deal where, basically, they are willing to literally charge us no tariffs,” Trump said during a meeting with business leaders in Doha, Qatar, where he is currently on a state visit. He did not provide further details on the offer.
Trump also said he advised Apple CEO Tim Cook to abandon plans to expand manufacturing in India and instead focus on increasing production within the United States. “Apple will be upping its production in the United States,” he added.
The president’s remarks come as trade officials from both nations continue negotiations on a comprehensive India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement. Representatives from India’s Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office met in Washington from April 23–25 to advance the first phase of the agreement, which both sides hope to finalize by fall 2025.
Those meetings built on earlier talks held in New Delhi in March.
“During the meetings in Washington, D.C., the team had fruitful discussions on a wide range of topics, including tariff and non-tariff issues,” India’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. “The team discussed the pathway for concluding the first tranche of the mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement by Fall 2025, including through opportunities for early mutual wins.”
While sector-specific talks have taken place virtually, in-person meetings are expected to begin in late May, the statement added.
The negotiations follow commitments made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s February visit to Washington, where he and Trump agreed to pursue the first phase of a trade agreement this year. The two leaders also launched “Mission 500,” a goal to more than double U.S.-India trade to $500 billion by 2030.
The ongoing discussions are part of a broader effort to deepen economic ties and improve supply chain integration between the two countries. (Source: IANS)
