India likely to be first to sign trade deal with US

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he expects India to strike the first bilateral trade deal to avoid President Donald Trumprsquos reciprocal tariffs according to the New York PostA 26 per cent lsquoreciprocalrsquo tariff on Indian exports to the US is currently on a pause set to expire on July 8 However like other countries India is presently subject to a 10 per cent tariff under the existing policy Bessent said on Wednesday local time that trade talks with India are ldquovery closerdquo to reaching a successful conclusion because the worldrsquos most populous nation doesnrsquot have ldquoso many high tariffsrdquoldquoIndia also has fewer nontariff trade barriers obviously no currency manipulation very very little government subsidies so that reaching a deal with the Indians is much easierrdquo Bessent said at the DC event Earlier on Tuesday US Vice President J D Vance in Jaipur urged India to drop nontariff barriers give greater access to its markets and buy more American energy and military hardware as he laid out a broader roadmap of deeper tiesChina denies talksldquoChina and the US are not having consultation or negotiation on tariffs still less reaching a dealrdquo Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said reacting to reports about talks to reach a deal ldquoThis tariff war was launched by the US Chinarsquos position is consistent and clear We will fight if it is a must Our doors are open if the US wants to talk dialogue and negotiation must be based on equality respect and mutual benefitrdquo Guo saidUSrsquos antiChina bidState lawmakers across the US have introduced at least 240 antiChina proposals this year aiming to ensure public funds donrsquot buy Chinese technology or even Tshirts coffee mugs and key chains for tourists Theyrsquore also targeting sistercity relationships between American and Chinese communities After years celebrating trade ties with China states donrsquot want police to buy Chinese drones government agencies to use Chinese apps software or parts or public pension systems to invest in Chinese companiesKenya China to build tiesKenyan President William Ruto pledged to build closer ties with China on Thursday Ruto is on a fiveday visit to China his third trip to Beijing since taking office in 2022 The visit comes as both Kenya and China are seeking to expand ties amid a tariff fight between Washington and BeijinglsquoNot lifting Russian sanctionsrsquoUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio refuted recent reports in US media alleging discussions about lifting sanctions on Russia in connection with a Ukraine deal ldquoThis is journalistic malpracticerdquo he saidUS advises against travel to IndiaThe US has issued an advisory after the Pahalgam terror attack asking Americans not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir and also within 10 km of the IndiaPakistan border ldquoTerrorist attacks and violent civil unrest are possible in Jammu and Kashmir Do not travel with the exception of visits to the Leh Ladakh region Violence happens sporadically in this area and is common along the Line of Control LOC between India and Pakistanrdquo it saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params