US President Donald Trump has said that the United States is "very close" to reaching a trade deal with India. He made this statement during a meeting with Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office. Trump said, “We’re very close to a deal with India, where they open it up.”

This shows that both countries may soon resolve ongoing trade negotiations that have been in discussion for a long time. Trump also repeated similar thoughts in an interview aired by Real America's Voice. Talking about his wider trade plans, Trump said, “We’ve made deals with a lot of great places. We have another one coming up, maybe with India. I don’t know; we’re in negotiation. When I send out a letter, that’s a deal.”

He explained how his strategy of sending letters that mention tariffs has helped push other countries into finalising trade agreements. “The best deal we can make is to send out a letter, and the letter says that you'll pay 30%, 35%, 25%, and 20%. We have some pretty good deals to announce,” Trump added.

India’s position: No rushed agreement

Trump’s comments come at a time when a team from India’s Commerce Ministry is in the US for a new round of trade talks. However, India has made it clear that it will not agree to any trade deal in a hurry.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently said that India will not commit to a deal based on timelines. According to a PTI report, he stated that any agreement must be thoroughly finalised, well negotiated, and aligned with the country’s national interest.

President Trump also spoke more about the need for market access. He said, "We're going to have access into India. And you have to understand, we had no access into any of these countries. Our people couldn't go in. And now we're getting access because of what we're doing with the tariffs."

He added that in the past, American companies had no access to key foreign markets, but his administration’s tariff strategy is now opening doors. “You have to understand, we had no access into any of these countries, and now we’re getting access because of what we’re doing with the tariffs,” Trump said.

On Tuesday, Trump also announced a new trade deal with Indonesia. As per the deal, all Indonesian imports to the US will face a 19% tariff. In return, US products will get unrestricted, tariff-free access to Indonesia. This replaces an earlier plan for a 32% tariff and reflects Trump’s aggressive trade strategy to improve export conditions for the US.

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