At a time when Indian and American delegations are holding talks in Delhi, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has told Congress that the Indian proposal is ’the best we’ve ever received as a country’ in ongoing trade talks.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has told the Congress that the Indian proposal is “the best we’ve ever received as a country” in ongoing trade talks.
In a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Greer on Tuesday said that the latest proposal from India has been the best so far.
Greer said that “they’ve been quite forward-leaning” and added that India could become “a viable alternative market” for US commodities at a time when American farmers are facing inventories and fluctuating demand from China, according to NDTV Profit.
Greer further said, “We have to find a way to manage that trade.”
The remarks came at a time when a high-level US delegation led by Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer is in India to hold talks with an Indian delegation led by Union Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal.
These talks are aimed at ironing out differences to sign a bilateral trade agreement by the end of the month, The Indian Express reported a source as saying.
Sources told The Express that India last month submitted its final proposal to the Trump administration — apparently the proposal that Greer described as “best”.
But sources said that differences remain are only expected to be resolved with the intervention of the political leadership.
Trump has slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India — making India the highest-tariffed nation in the world. Among other demands, he has pressed India to accept US agriculture and dairy imports. The politically sensitive sectors have long been red lines for India in any trade deal.
At the Senate hearing, Greer suggested that ongoing discussions between the Trump administration and India extend beyond crops to tariffs and market access in other sectors as well. On the issue of zero-tariff commitments for civil aviation parts under the 1979 Aircraft Agreement, he said talks are “fairly far advanced” and suggested the United States could offer similar treatment if India agrees to reciprocal access, according to NDTV Profit.
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