According to eminent trade experts, given the sharp differences, the crucial India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting is unlikely to make much progress but might spark trade talks between the two nations.
TPF provides a platform to further bilateral trade and relations and forms a way for the two countries to have continuous engagement in the area of trade.
Mark Linscott, the former assistant US trade representative (USTR) for South and Central Asian Affairs had this to say, “There will be some glossing over of serious bilateral trade problems, positive language on the architecture of TPF discussions across goods and services, and repackaging of specific areas of the agenda, such as labour, environment and good regulatory practices, as part of a new working group on ‘resilient trade’ ”
He also noted that it would be difficult to avoid the fact that the current approach being taken for bilateral trade is not working.
“If the United States could offer the reinstatement of India’s GSP benefits, the prospects are strong that the two sides could reach an agreement on a series of issues, covering agriculture, health-sector products, digital services, and new trade issues” he added.
“Ensuring commitments to the cross-border data flow to maximise the growth of both countries’ digital economies will have a far bigger impact on long-term trade growth than tit-for-tat tariff reductions,” said Kyle Gardner, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center.
“At present and for the foreseeable future, neither country is keen to make concessions on tariff and non-tariff barriers,” said Atman Trivedi who was a Senior Director for Policy in Global Markets at the US Commerce Department during the Obama administration.
