US trade representative Robert Lighthizer and India’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal are slated to discuss tariff exemptions in the coming days for certain steel and aluminum products, the latter announced.
Talk of a trade deal between the two countries goes back to 2018 when President Donald Trump called India a “tariff king,” referring to high import duties levied on US products.
Goyal intends to discuss tariff exemption under the General System of Preferences of the Office of the US Trade Representative. He said both countries are negotiating a trade deal to iron out their differences and help expand trade and investment between the two nations.
Goyal added that he’s in regular contact with Wilbur Ross, secretary of the US Department of Commerce, and will meet businessmen from both countries in mid-July to expeditiously address some of the agreement’s most pressing aspects.
The US, for its part, wants duties removed on information and communication technology products.