India is an essential partner, we want fair and reciprocal trade: US State Department's Mingon Houston

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mignon Houston on Wednesday (local time) said that India is an "essential partner" for Washington in the Indo-Pacific region, as talks continue for a bilateral trade agreement between the two nations.Speaking to ANI, Houston underlined the United States' aim of establishing a "fair and reciprocal" trade relationship with its partners, in line with the Trump administration's "America First" agenda."We want trade that is fair and reciprocal. Working closely, India is an essential partner in the Indo-Pacific and the Quad. We expect that all our partners understand why this is so important to the 'America First' agenda, that we look for trade policies that have a fairness, reciprocal, balanced way to ensure that all parties benefit," Houston told ANI.She defended the Trump administration's decision to impose tariffs, saying unfair trade practices had harmed American farmers and industries."I can say writ large as it relates to the United States' position that these tariffs are a way for countries to meet us at a place of fairness. The United States has an open economy, but there are unfair trade policies that have impacted US farmers and industries," she said.Talks between India and the US on a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) are underway, with a July 9 deadline fast approaching. The deadline marks the end of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariff hikes.On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that a trade deal between India and the United States was likely soon and promised reduced tariffs."I think we are going to have a deal with India. And that is going to be a different kind of a deal. It is going to be a deal where we are able to go in and compete. Right now, India does not accept anybody in. I think India is going to do that, and if they do that, we are going to have a deal for much less tariffs," Trump said.Meanwhile, India has taken a firmer stand on agricultural issues as the negotiations continue. According to government sources, India's negotiating team, led by Chief Negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, has extended its stay in Washington.The trade talks were initially scheduled for Thursday and Friday but were extended as both sides work to finalise an interim agreement before the July 9 deadline.A senior official warned that failure to reach an agreement would result in the return of a 26 per cent tariff structure that had been temporarily suspended for 90 days. These tariffs were first imposed during the Trump administration on April 2."The failure of these trade discussions would trigger the immediate reimplementation of the 26 per cent tariff structure," the official said.