Trump says Pakistani representatives coming to US next week for trade talks
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the rain after landing on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Friday, after traveling to Pennsylvania to visit a U.S. Steel plant. AFP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that representatives from Pakistan were coming to the United States next week as the South Asian country seeks to make a deal on tariffs.
Pakistan faces a potential 29 percent tariff on its exports to the United States due to a $3 billion trade surplus with the world's biggest economy, under tariffs announced by Washington last month on countries around the world.
Trump said he would have no interest in making a deal with the South Asian country or its neighbor, India, if they were to engage in war with each other. The two nuclear-armed rivals used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery in four days of clashes this month, their worst fighting in decades.
"As you know, we're very close making a deal with India," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after deplaning from Air Force One.
Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington recently to advance trade talks, with both sides aiming to sign an interim agreement by early July.
India faces 26 percent tariffs on shipments to the U.S.
Reuters reported last week that India is likely to allow U.S. firms to bid for contracts worth over $50 billion, mainly from federal entities, as it negotiates the trade deal with Washington.