Trade agreement necessary to strengthen India-US economic relations: Keshap!

Atul Keshap, President of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) recently visited India. After this visit, he said that America and India need to pursue deeper economic engagement. To strengthen business confidence on both sides, the long pending trade agreement between India and America should be completed.

Keshap described the India visit as very inspiring and said, “We wanted to know the opinion of Indians on America, trade agreements and business. We heard that from India’s point of view they made a very good offer to America and they are hopeful that America will complete the talks on trade and we will also have an agreement.”

“We want a trade agreement between the two countries. We want it to happen as soon as possible. We want it to be big,” he said. According to him, this agreement should be comprehensive, which will create a strong foundation for deeper integration between the US-India economies.

Regarding US tariffs on India, Keshap said that India has worked to diversify its export markets to reduce the impact. Nevertheless, India’s goods exports to America have increased in 2025.

“This is part of the ongoing negotiations in which both sides are trying to figure out where the final tariff number might end up,” he said.

Keshap pointed to the US’s large investments in India in areas such as data centers and artificial intelligence. He said, “America and India should work with each other to develop frontier technology.

Lower tariffs among friends may be the best outcome. “India’s proposal could increase market access for American exporters.”