The US delegation is led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch from the United States Trade Representative (USTR). While India’s team is headed by Darpan Jain, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce. The talks are scheduled to continue for four days.
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Discussions will reportedly focus on market access, non-tariff barriers, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion and economic security cooperation.
Lynch, leading the American delegation, joined the USTR in 2013 and served in the agency’s Office of Agricultural Affairs.
He managed bilateral negotiations related to agriculture with countries in the South and Central Asia region as well as Taiwan, Israel, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and Russia, before taking over as USTR’s Director for India.
Most recently, Lynch was the Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia.
Interestingly, agriculture is one of the toughest points in the negotiation. India would rather continue with the current 10% across-the-board tariff regime than accept conditions that affect sovereign decisions, particularly those related to oil purchases and sensitive agricultural products, according to reports.
A government official told The Indian Express there is “a sense of urgency” around the negotiations as the US is expected to roll out a new tariff framework under Section 301 from July 24.
The urgency stems from a February ruling by the US Supreme Court that struck down US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy. Following the decision, Washington introduced a uniform 10 per cent tariff on imports from all countries for a 150-day period.
Why India-US bilateral trade agreement matters?
The US was India’s second-largest trading partner in the financial year ending March 2026.
India’s exports to the US rose 0.92% to $87.3 billion, while imports from the US increased 15.95% to $52.9 billion during the period. India’s trade surplus with the US decreased to $34.4 billion from $40.89 billion a year earlier.
India and the US are currently working to finalise the legal text of the trade framework agreed upon earlier this year.
One of its key provisions was a proposal to lower US tariffs on Indian goods to 18%. The proposal came after trade tensions had pushed tariffs on some Indian exports as high as 50%.
But negotiations remain challenging. India has also maintained that it will continue purchasing Russian crude oil despite pressure from Washington D.C.
What could be included in the bilateral trade agreement between the US and India?
Among the proposals discussed under the trade framework is a reduction in Indian tariffs on several American products, particularly in the agriculture and industrial sectors. These include items such as animal feed ingredients, fruits, tree nuts, soybean oil, wine and spirits.
The framework has also outlined plans to significantly expand bilateral trade. As part of those discussions, India had indicated that it could increase purchases of US goods worth around $500 billion over five years, which include energy products, aircraft, technology equipment and coking coal. But with negotiations still underway, the final terms of the agreement could undergo changes before a deal is signed.
The US had also launched Section 301 investigations related to “structural excess capacity” and “forced labour.” Indian officials, as per the report, have responded by saying trade surpluses are a natural outcome of global economic conditions and have pointed out that India has ratified international conventions prohibiting forced labour.
The US-India relationship beyond trade
Last week, India and the US finalised a framework for cooperation in the critical minerals sector amid growing concerns over China’s export controls on rare earth elements.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor recently highlighted growing collaboration in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, energy, digital trade and emerging technologies.
He also noted that the US imports a significant share of its generic medicines from India which underlines the importance of pharmaceutical ties between the two countries.
India is also expected to become part of trusted supply chain networks in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing.
India-US trade deal said to be near completion
Recent comments from US officials suggest that negotiations may be entering their final stage. USTR Jamieson Greer said last week that he expects to meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal soon and would like to finalise the agreement based on the framework already reached by the two countries.
Gor also expressed confidence that a bilateral trade deal could be signed in the coming weeks or months. He said only “1 per cent” of the agreement remains unresolved and noted that negotiators are continuing discussions to bridge the remaining gaps.
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