2 min readNew DelhiApr 16, 2026 01:36 AM IST A month after the US launched two Section 301(b) investigations under the Trade Act of 1974 against scores of countries, including India, negotiators from the Commerce and Industry Ministry are set to reach Washington on April 20 for trade deal talks. The upcoming round of negotiations have come up at a time when the US could be working on a new tariff architecture to replace reciprocal tariffs, which were struck down by the US Supreme Court in February. “The Indian team, led by the Chief negotiator [Darpan Jain], will be visiting the US from April 20. The negotiating teams will be meeting in person after a gap of about 3–4 months. They have been engaging virtually in the meantime. We are looking at finalising the legal agreement, which is a logical follow-up to the joint statement released on February 7. There is a need for further discussions and follow-up engagement to take this forward,” Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said. “The US has initiated investigations involving several …