Washington DC [US], February 7 (ANI): Former US Assistant Secretary of Commerce Raymond Vickery said India was not willing to eliminate all tariff barriers, as reflected in the joint statement on the India-US Interim Trade Agreement.
Speaking to ANI about the Interim Agreement, Vickery said the deal contains elements that can help bridge harmful discontinuities in the US-India relationship over the past year. “There are elements here which, going forward, can help to bridge some of the discontinuities, which have been very harmful to the US-India relationship over the past year…It’s good that something has been put forward in a joint statement…India has not agreed to reduce all of its tariff barriers to zero, which was represented,” he said.
He added that it’s positive India and the US are addressing the problem created by President Trump, noting tariffs have been reduced to 18% — still many times higher than before the dispute — and that “there is a long way to go.” Vickery praised India’s measured response, saying it has avoided reacting to tweets or social media and has taken a rational approach to restore the bilateral relationship.
The US and India announced a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal, mutually beneficial trade. The framework reaffirms commitment to broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, launched by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, which will include additional market access commitments and measures to support more resilient supply chains.
(The Tribune/ANI)
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