India Trade Team Arrives In US For Talks As July Deadline Looms

An Indian negotiating team has arrived in the US, seeking to secure an interim trade deal before a July 9 deadline when higher US tariffs are set to kick in, people familiar with the matter said.

The team, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agarwal, is slated to hold meetings with officials in Washington over two days to resolve differences and find a common ground, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private.

An Indian trade ministry spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment sent outside normal business hours. The Office of the US Trade Representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Negotiators have hardened their stance on some key points in recent talks, with the two sides wrangling over issues including a US demand that India open up its market to genetically-modified crops. The South Asian nation has said it won’t accept the demand, which may adversely impact its farmers.

New Delhi meanwhile has dug in its heels and is unwilling to sign a trade deal with Washington that doesn’t address both sectoral and reciprocal tariffs for its exports, Bloomberg earlier reported.