White House adviser says India must lower tariffs on U.S. products

[December 18, 2019]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is "engaged" with India on trade issues but wants India to lower its tariffs, White House trade and economic adviser Peter Navarro said on Wednesday.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro listens to a news conference about a presidential executive order relating to military veterans outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, U.S. March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

"We're engaged with India," Navarro told Fox Business Network in an interview.

"We've got to get India ... to lower their tariffs and make nice with their trade," he added.

The two countries have been locked in trade disputes for months, slapping higher tariffs on each other's products, including steel.

India's trade minister in October said the broad outlines of a deal had been worked out, but Navarro on Wednesday gave no details about where talks or any U.S.-India trade agreement stood.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have notched two long-sought trade wins this month, finalizing a long-sought pact with Mexico and Canada and announcing plans to ink a "phase one" trade deal with China next month.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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