WASHINGTON– The United States and India need to conclude a long-pending trade agreement to unlock deeper economic integration and strengthen business confidence between the two countries, US-India Business Council President Atul Keshap said after a recent visit to India.
Keshap said he traveled to India with USIBC Chair Ed Knight to engage directly with Indian government officials and business leaders on views related to the United States, ongoing trade negotiations, and investment flows.
“We wanted to hear from Indian voices about their perspectives on America and on the trade deal and on business,” he said, describing the visit as “very inspiring.”
According to Keshap, Indian counterparts indicated that negotiations with Washington have been carried out carefully over several rounds. He said they conveyed that India believes it has presented a strong proposal and is now hoping the United States will move toward finalizing an agreement.
“What we heard is that from the Indian perspective, they have offered the United States an excellent proposal, and they’re hoping that the United States will conclude the trade negotiations and that we will have a trade agreement,” he said.
While declining to discuss specific details of the talks, Keshap said the U.S. business community is united in its desire for a deal.
“We emphatically want a trade deal. We want it to happen as soon as possible. We want it to be ambitious,” he said, adding that it should serve as “the foundation for even further integration of the American and Indian economies.”
On U.S. tariffs affecting Indian exports, Keshap said India has diversified its export markets to reduce the impact. Even so, he noted that India’s merchandise exports to the United States increased in 2025.
“This is an element of the ongoing negotiation where both sides are trying to figure out where that final tariff number might end up,” he said.
He said uncertainty around tariffs highlights why businesses are pushing for an agreement, noting that clarity would help reinforce investor confidence.
“It will create a psychological signal that’s extremely important in both directions of greater confidence,” he said, adding that investment activity has continued despite ongoing negotiations.
Keshap also pointed to recent U.S. investment announcements in India, particularly in data centers and artificial intelligence, and said the two countries should work closely together on emerging technologies.
“The U.S. and India, as the leading democracies on Earth, ought to be working with each other to develop these frontier technologies,” he said.
He said a deal that lowers tariffs would benefit producers and exporters in both countries. “Lower tariffs among friends is the best possible outcome,” he said, adding that India has put forward proposals that could expand market access for American exporters.
Keshap said finalizing an agreement would help accelerate progress toward the shared goal of $500 billion in bilateral trade in goods and services.
“Shared prosperity is what we’re all about,” he said.
U.S.-India trade talks are taking place as the two countries continue to expand strategic cooperation in areas such as defense, supply chains, and technology, with bilateral trade steadily growing over the past decade and U.S. companies increasingly viewing India as a long-term investment destination. (Source: IANS)
