India and the US have decided to reschedule the proposed meeting of their chief negotiators, supposed to be held in Washington from Monday, to finalise the text for the interim trade pact, sources said on Sunday. The three-day meeting was scheduled to begin from February 23 in the US.
The development is important following the US Supreme Court’s verdict against sweeping import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on trade partners. Trump on Friday imposed a 10 per cent tariff on all countries, including India, from February 24 for 150 days after the court verdict.
“With regards to the visit of the Indian team of negotiators to the US for the India-US trade deal, the two sides are of the view that the proposed visit of the Indian Chief Negotiator and the team be scheduled after each side has had the time to evaluate the latest developments and their implications. The meeting will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient date,” sources in the commerce ministry said. Darpan Jain, joint secretary in the ministry, is the chief negotiator of India.