The Centre has denied committing to reducing import duties on US products, following President Donald Trump’s claim that New Delhi had agreed to lower tariffs, The Times of India reported.
The Centre on Tuesday told a Parliamentary panel that it had made “no commitments to the US on the issue”, the report added.
The government “has sought time until September to address the issue that is being repeatedly flagged by the American president,” the report said.
It also mentioned that commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal, while appearing before the Parliamentary standing committee on external affairs, reportedly said India and the US were working on a mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement, prioritising long-term cooperation over immediate tariff adjustments.
Donald Trump on Friday said India has agreed to cut tariffs significantly because he is finally exposing New Delhi for imposing ‘massive tariffs’ on American imports.
He had also blamed all trading partners of “unfair” practices and announced reciprocal tariffs on many countries, including India, to begin from next month.
