India, Oct. 23 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States (US) President Donald Trump are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Summits later this week, with trade set to be the central focus. The meeting could provide a much-needed political boost to ongoing negotiations aimed at finalising the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) that has been years in the making.

According to sources, India and the US are reportedly close to finalising a long-awaited trade agreement that could bring significant relief to Indian exporters. The deal is expected to lower US tariffs on Indian goods from current levels of around 50 per cent to approximately 15 per cent - 16 per cent, making Indian products more ...