PTI New Delhi

The status of a US delegation visiting India for the next round of bilateral trade talks will be known closer to the scheduled date of August 25, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on Thursday. He also said that the two countries are fully engaged in the trade negotiations.

When asked about the next round of talks (from August 25), he said, "closer to the date, which is the end of last week of August, you will be able to know how that round will be progressing. We will apprise you". So far, five rounds of talks have been completed for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA).

A US team is scheduled to visit India from August 25 for the sixth round of talks. These remarks are important as after imposing a staggering 50 per cent duty on Indian goods, US President Donald Trump has also ruled out any trade talks between the two countries until the tariff issue is resolved.  The commerce secretary, however, said that "BTA talks are going on. We are engaged".

‘India-China trade moving positively’

The bilateral trade between India and China has been moving positively, Commerce Secretary Sunil Brathwal said Thursday. "Trade developments have been good with China." Amid volatility in the global trade landscape, the Indian government's stance towards China seems to have slightly changed, and it also intends to open the economy to China. The government is also in dialogue with China over a smooth supply of critical minerals and rare earth magnets.