USTR confirms Greer's India visit as both sides push to finalise trade deal

Trump’s top trade negotiator Jamieson Greer will travel to New Delhi this week for talks with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and other senior Indian officials, as the two countries seek to finalise bilateral trade agreement, his office has confirmed Sunday (June 21) night.

The visit comes at a crucial stage in trade negotiations between the two countries.

Talks have continued for more than a year since the US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) was launched in February 2025.
Trade ties between New Delhi and Washington have improved in recent months after a rocky period last year, when the Trump administration imposed a 50% tariff on Indian exports, including a 25% penalty component, triggering concerns across several export sectors.

While the tariff was brought down to 18% early this year, differences remain.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said the framework agreement is ready, but implementation will depend on resolving remaining tariff-related issues and ensuring India secures a competitive advantage over rival exporting nations.

India is also among a group of countries that could face an additional 12.5% tariff under a proposed US trade measure targeting economies that Washington says have failed to effectively prohibit imports made with forced labour.

The proposal, announced by the USTR following a Section 301 investigation, would impose higher duties on countries including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland. Public hearings on the measure are scheduled to begin on July 7.

The USTR has argued that India’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a forced-labour import prohibition is “unreasonable” and burdens US commerce.

The USTR is also considering a separate textile mechanism that could allow limited imports from certain countries at reduced tariff rates.

After India, Greer will travel to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he is scheduled to meet President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Head of the Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva and Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev.

The USTR said the discussions in both countries would focus on achieving “fair, balanced and reciprocal trade”.