United States Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent said it is easier to negotiate with India because the nation has very high tariffs and it is much easier to confront the direct tariffs.
Scott Bessent said, “We are very close on India and it is easier to negotiate with India than many other countries because they have very high tariffs…So it is much easier to confront the direct tariffs as we go through these unfair trade deals that have been put in over decades that the non-tariff trade barriers can be much more insidious and also harder to detect. So, a country like India, which has posted and ready tariffs, makes it much easier to negotiate with them. So I think the Indian negotiations are moving well.”
#WATCH | Washington, DC | United States Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent says, "We are very close on India and it is easier to negotiate with India than many other countries because they have very high tariffs…So it is much easier to confront the direct tariffs as we go… pic.twitter.com/wAKNH9YbB4
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India on bilateral trade talks with US
Meanwhile, India said that the meetings for negotiation of Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with United States are making “positive progress” and termed the discussions as “fruitful.”
As part of ongoing discussions on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, representatives of India’s Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative met in Washington, DC, from April 23-25, 2025. This follows earlier bilateral discussions held in March 2025 in New Delhi.
‘The team had fruitful discussions’
The Ministry further added that the team had fruitful discussions on a wide range of subjects, including tariff and non-tariff matters, during the meetings in Washington, DC.
The Indian and US sides held a meeting to discuss the ways for the first phase of the Bilateral Trade Agreement, which is scheduled to be finalised in the fall of the current year.
The team discussed the pathway
“During the meetings in Washington, D.C., the team had fruitful discussions on wide ranging subjects covering tariff and non-tariff matters. The team discussed the pathway for concluding the first tranche of the mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement by Fall of 2025, including through opportunities for early mutual wins. While productive Sectoral expert level engagements have taken place through the virtual format, in-person Sectoral engagements are planned from end of May,” the Ministry added.
