ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani delegation will soon meet with officials from President Donald Trump’s administration to negotiate a trade deal, according to US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, as quoted by Bloomberg. The meeting, which is expected to take place shortly, will be attended by Bruce, alongside other key US officials.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar is currently in the United States for high-level events related to Pakistan’s UN Security Council (UNSC) presidency in New York, and for crucial bilateral engagements in Washington, as per the Foreign Office (FO).
The Pakistani government is hoping to have the 29% reciprocal tariffs that were initially imposed by the Trump administration lifted. Pakistan has also proposed increasing imports of soybeans and cotton from the United States, being the second-largest buyer of US cotton by value, after China. The US remains Pakistan’s largest export destination.
Bilateral ties between Pakistan and the US have improved recently, highlighted by a rare meeting between President Trump and Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House.
On July 19, the FO stated that FM Dar’s visit underscores Pakistan’s growing importance in both its relations with the US and its role in the global landscape.
In addition to Dar’s visit, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has also traveled to the US and met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington to further advance economic cooperation between the two countries.
According to Reuters, the ongoing negotiations, centered on reciprocal tariffs, are part of a broader initiative to reset economic ties between Pakistan and the US amid changing geopolitical alignments. Pakistan’s aim is to avoid steep US duties on its exports.
