3 hours ago
Last Updated:March 10, 2025, 20:34 IST
Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal told the foreign affairs panel that India is still negotiating with the US over tariffs, sources said. Trump had claimed that India has agreed to bring down tariffs.
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, DC, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
After US President Donald Trump claimed that India has brought tariffs “way down" on American goods, India’s commerce secretary clarified that India is still negotiating with the United States and has not made any commitments so far.
According to sources, Sunil Barthwal, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department of Commerce) briefed the department, Standing Committee on External Affairs on the Current Developments in India’s Foreign Trade and Policy on Monday, where he said to have told the panel that the US has not officially imposed any tariffs on India, unlike Mexico, Canada and China.
“We will protect the interests of the sectors and the industry essential for domestic industry," he said to have told the committee. “All agreements and trade deals would be as per the mutually beneficial to both countries as per the joint statement signed by both PM Modi and Trump." the sources further said.
The department-related standing committee for External Affairs is led by Congress Lok Sabha, MP Dr Shashi Tharoor.
The committee also heard from India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, on questions from members about China. Sources informed that committee members asked several questions on China and the approval of a massive dam construction project on the Brahmaputra river, which sparked concerns in India and Bangladesh.
The Secretary informed the committee that there was no agreement between India and China, but India had a water-distribution agreement with Pakistan, sources said. He also stressed that any issue with China can only be discussed on bilateral levels.
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This meeting came after Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit to the United States, where he held talks with US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Earlier, Trump claimed that India has agreed to cut its tariffs “way down" as he reiterated his claim that the country charges America massive tariffs that make it difficult to sell products there. “They’ve agreed. they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they’ve done," he said.
Trump has been threatening several countries with reciprocal trade tariffs ever since he assumed charge as US President.
Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House, Trump had announced reciprocal tariffs on its partners, including New Delhi. While maintaining warm relations of PM Modi, Trump has often been critical of India’s high tariffs, describing the country as a “tariff king" and a “tariff abuser".
India exports nearly $74 billion worth of goods to the US in 2024, which establishes the US as India’s biggest trading partner. Higher tariffs on Indian products are likely to decrease their competitive edge in the US market which will hit major labour-intensive sectors hard.
Goyal was in the US to lead India’s trade negotiation efforts to engage with US officials to obtain concessions that could lessen the economic impact. Last week, India said it is looking at deepening trade ties with the US, including by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers through a bilateral trade deal.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US last month, both India and the US announced plans to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in an interaction with India Today TV said the US wants a more balanced trade relationship with India, emphasising the need for fairer trade policies.
Location : First Published:March 10, 2025, 20:34 IST
News india 'No Commitment So Far': Commerce Secy Briefs Foreign Affairs Panel After Trump's 'Tariff Cut' Claim
