Cricket, house parties: US Commerce Secretary recalls India visits amid trade talks
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed his love and admiration for India, saying that he enjoyed his trips to the country, playing cricket, and "just having fun." "I wasn't the classic American looking at it from the outside," Lutnick said, with the India-US trade deal in the works."One of my best friends, Nikesh Aurora, is Indian... When I would go to India, we'd go to house parties, we played cricket, we just had fun, and it's a different perspective. I am a great fan of India, and even the people in the government know that that's true," Lutnick said, speaking at the eighth edition of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington, DC, on Monday. advertisementHowever, Lutnick said that even though he was a "great fan" of India, he wanted the duty on American goods to be lowered, as he felt New Delhi's use of tariffs was concerning.
"Bringing them down to a level that is reasonable and appropriate so we can be great trading partners with each other, I think is absolutely on the table," he said.Lutnick said he was optimistic that both countries will strike a trade deal before Trump's July 9 deadline kicks in.Expressing confidence over a favourable trade deal for both countries, Lutnick said, "You should expect a deal between the United States and India in the not-too distant future."Lutnick's remarks come in the backdrop of India seeking complete exemption from the additional 26 per cent levy imposed by US on its goods as both sides race to chalk out an interim trade deal before Trump's deadline.advertisementThe additional tariff of 26 per cent has currently been paused until July 9, while the baseline tariff of 10 per cent on Indian imports still remains in place.
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