India hopes to close a bilateral trade agreement with the United States as soon as possible

India is still optimistic about closing negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement with the United States “as soon as possible”, which intensifies efforts to close free trade agreements with other countries as well as monitor a possible increase in imports due to mutual tariffs.

“We will try to close BTA negotiations as soon as possible. We hope that we can negotiate a good agreement with the United States,” said a senior Ministry of Commerce official, adding that the deadline for the first appearance of BTA is from September to October 2025 or Fall 2025.

In the midst of concerns about mutual definitions by the United States despite an increase of 90 days, officials highlighted that India has already taken the way to liberalize trade with the United States and end BTA, which will not only help develop India’s trade with the United States but will also open a lot of opportunities for the two countries.

Virtual discussions about BTA will begin between the two countries this week, while negotiations will be held personally after the second week of May. “We are on the specified date with negotiations,” an official was emphasized.

In the fiscal year 25, the United States remained an export destination in India’s first, with a total exports amounted to 86.51 billion dollars, compared to 77.52 billion dollars in the 24th year.

Meanwhile, India is also working on trade agreements with many other countries, including the European Union, and may consider the “early harvest” deal similar to the temporary trade agreement signed with Australia and what is proposed with the United States, officials said.

“If some of the basic issues of trade and may take longer to negotiate, it may be better to focus only on trade in the European Union European Union negotiations in India,” adding that they are discussing with the European Union what could be an early harvest or a first partner of the Free Trade Agreement.

India and the European Union will hold the next round of negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement from May 12 to May 16 in New Delhi and aims to conclude the deal by the end of 2025.

An increase in imports:

The Ministry of Commerce is closely monitoring any possible increase in imports, amid concerns about throwing goods due to mutual definitions by the United States. So far, there has been no increase in imports, as officials have pointed out.

The recent evaluation highlighted the risk of throwing goods in India from countries such as China, Vietnam and Indonesia due to mutual trade tensions and high costs of the United States. The officials pointed out that there are fears that Chinese reprisals on American goods can increase the flow of American agricultural products to India.

A ministerial committee was established to monitor the increase in import by representation from the Ministry of Commerce, the General Directorate of Foreign Trade, the Central Council for indirect taxes and customs and the Ministry of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. The committee monitors the direction of weekly and monthly import according to commodities as well as the two countries.