India says trade talks with U.S. remain constructive after Washington visit

By Manoj Kumar

NEW DELHI, April ‌23 (Reuters) - India and the ​U.S. ​are engaged in constructive talks aimed at reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement, a spokesperson from India's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The comments followed ‌a three-day visit to Washington by an Indian trade delegation led by senior ⁠commerce ministry official Darpan Jain for talks with U.S. counterparts.

"These engagements are ongoing and constructive," spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told ‌reporters at a weekly media briefing.

"Both ‌sides are working towards a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking trade agreement, taking into account each other's concerns and priorities, and to achieve a trade target of $500 billion by ​2030," he said.

That target would be more than double bilateral goods and services trade of about $212 billion in 2024.

A U.S. official said the talks were "constructive but gaps remain" but gave ⁠no further information on any trade targets or what sticking points remained to resolve.

The talks reflect a broader effort by New ​Delhi and Washington to clinch a trade pact, even as uncertainty over U.S. tariff policy has complicated negotiations.

Earlier this week, Trade Minister Piyush Goyal ​said the two sides had nearly finalised the first ‌tranche of a bilateral trade agreement and were working through the remaining details, including a mechanism to secure preferential market access for India in ⁠the U.S. market relative to its competitors.

No concrete outcome emerged from the latest round of talks but both sides will continue to engage, a government official said on the condition of anonymity, adding that ⁠the Indian delegation was expected to return to New Delhi by early Friday.

Efforts to frame an interim trade ​pact, including a proposal to lower U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to about 18%, have been clouded by uncertainty following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling although negotiations are continuing.

Trade analysts and the opposition parties have questioned ‌the government's plans to sign a deal with Washington after President Donald Trump announced a temporary 10% duty on imports from all countries, ‌including India.

New Delhi is hoping to align any trade deal with Washington's planned changes in June to ⁠the so-called Section 301 tariffs, which ‌could reshape duties on key sectors ​and influence market access.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar in New Delhi, additional reporting by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder in Washington; Editing by Keith Weir and ‌David Gregorio)

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