Trump says Pakistani representatives coming to US next week for trade talks
US President Donald Trump said Friday that representatives from Pakistan will visit the United States next week as the South Asian country seeks to negotiate a trade deal.
Pakistan is facing the prospect of a 29 percent tariff on its exports to the US due to a $3 billion trade surplus, under tariffs Washington announced last month on multiple countries.
Trump said he had no interest in making a deal with either Pakistan or its neighbor India if the two were to engage in conflict. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery in four days of clashes this month — their worst fighting in decades.
'As you know, we're very close [to] making a deal with India,' Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after departing Air Force One.
Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal recently visited Washington to advance negotiations, with both sides aiming to sign an interim agreement by early July.
India currently faces 26 percent tariffs on its shipments to the US.
Reuters reported last week that India is likely to allow US firms to bid on contracts worth over $50 billion, mainly from federal entities.
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