TMTPOST -- Top U.S. trade official said on Wednesday the Trump administration is on track to finalize its first deals with trading partners within weeks, instead of months.
Credit：Xinhua News Agency
"I would say that we have deals that are, that are close," U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview with Fox News. "As the negotiator, I don't like to negotiate in public, but I will say we're talking about a matter of weeks and not months, to have some initial deals announced."
Responding to a question about if a deal with India is imminent, Greer said it was not “finish-line close, but I have a standing call with India’s trade minister.” He said U.S. and India had frequent meetings these days, and disclosed his meeting schedule. The top trade negotiator would meet with representatives from Japan, Guyana and Saudi Arabia on May 1 and the Philippines on May 2 and is working closely with South Korea and Britain.
Greer said he is calling on counterparts to reduce tariff levels and non-tariff barriers, level the playing field in digital trade, intellectual property(IP) rights, labour and environmental standards. The Trump administration focuses on targeted deals, aiming to increase market access for U.S. exports, drop tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers and enhance U.S. economy seucurity, he said.
Trump said during NewsNation’s town hall on Wednesday that more than 100 countries are calling the U.S. “morning, noon and night” to seek a deal on tariffs and he could set deals of 40, 50 or 60% with some countries rather than negotiate. The president saw his administration will strike the first deals with India, South Korea and Japan in weeks as it is negotiating with these Asian trading partners.
Asked when he would announce the first deals, Trump said the U.S. has “potential deals” in place with countries such as Japan. But he noted he was “in less of a hurry” than those expressing anxiety over the economy. “We are sitting on the cat bird seat. They want us. We don’t need them,” Trump said, adding that India wanted to “make a deal so bad.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday touted forthcoming trade deals with India, South Korea and Japan, as the Trump administration is making substantial progress on negotiations over tariffs.
Bessent told reporters that U.S. is making progress on trade deals with India, South Korea and Japan. “I think that we are very close on India,” said Bessent. He continued: “I could see the contours of a deal with the Republic of Korea coming together, and then we've had substantial talks with the Japanese.”
Bessent said at least 17 U.S. trading partners that he will speak to over the next few weeks. Bessent believes negotiations with Asian partners are the closest to leading to a deal as those allies “have been the most forthcoming” with negotiations.
Asked whether the trade deal with India could be finalized this week, Bessent didn’t provide any timetable. “I think that we are very close on India, and India — just a little inside baseball — India, in a funny way, is easier to negotiate with than many countries because they have very high tariffs and lots of tariffs,” Bessent said.