India-US trade deal: US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P Clark, commenting on President Donald Trump’s announcement of the India-US trade deal, said it would unlock more private sector collaboration.

“We commend the governments of the United States and India for their announcement of reduced tariffs and non-tariff barriers that will benefit American and Indian businesses and workers from both great nations. We appreciate the efforts of President Trump and Prime Minister Modi, and their officials, including Ambassadors Kwatra and Gor. We are optimistic that this will be the first step toward a comprehensive trade agreement that allows for the review, unblocking, and even more details of the sector private,” he said. Clark.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) called the decision to cut tariffs to 18 percent “an important and positive first step.”

“While the details of the agreement are pending, today’s announcement indicates strong political will on both sides to move toward a US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) that addresses tariffs, market access, non-tariff barriers and other trade-related issues in a wide range of sectors,” USISPF said Monday.

He said a BTA could be meaningful for businesses, workers and consumers in both countries, while strengthening supply chains and economic resilience. He said he will work closely with the Indian government and the US government to advance a shared goal of expanding bilateral trade.

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, congratulated President Trump on an “excellent achievement” and added that he was “very pleased to hear that the world’s oldest and largest democracy has agreed to lower trade barriers with the United States.”

Senator Lindsey Graham remarked that India has “more than earned” this reduction. He stated: “By its behavior, India has earned this reduction. I hope the other major nations buying Russia will follow India’s lead. Putin will only come to the table when the pain is so great. We are not there yet, but with India’s actions, we are getting closer. Let’s end the bloodbath in Ukraine now.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “The new U.S.-India deal will export more U.S. agricultural products to the massive Indian market, boosting prices and pumping cash into rural America,” and described the result as an “America First victory on top of dozens of deals for agriculture.”