India, US conclude 5th round of BTA talks

India and the US teams have concluded the fifth round of talks for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) in Washington July 17, an official said.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The negotiations were held for four days (July 14-17) in Washington.

"The Indian team is coming back," the official said.

India's chief negotiator and special secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal led the team for negotiations.

These deliberations are important as both sides are looking at finalising an interim trade deal before August 1, which marks the end of the suspension period of Trump tariffs imposed on dozens of countries, including India (26 per cent).

On April 2 this year, US President Donald Trump announced these high reciprocal tariffs. The implementation of high tariffs was immediately suspended for 90 days till July 9 and later until August 1, as America is negotiating trade deals with various countries.