Pakistan, US reaffirm commitment to keep trade talks on track

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States have agreed to continue negotiations on unresolved issues under the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), as Washington has asked Islamabad to raise imports in an effort to reduce the existing trade imbalance.

The understanding was reached during a virtual meeting between Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul and Deputy United States Trade Representative Rick Switzer, according to an official announcement. The discussion focused on bilateral trade relations, progress in the ongoing negotiations and possible new areas of economic cooperation between the two countries.

According to the official statement, both sides reviewed ways to expand bilateral trade, with particular emphasis on reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial trade arrangement. The two sides also agreed that a reciprocal and forward-looking trade framework would support sustainable economic engagement.

The US side acknowledged there was room to further deepen trade ties and reaffirmed its readiness to remain closely engaged with Pakistan as negotiations move forward.

The remarks were made by Deputy USTR Rick Switzer, who, appreciated what he described as the constructive approach shown during the discussions.

Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul said Pakistan had already held constructive and positive engagements on the ART, with only a limited number of issues still under discussion. He said Pakistan’s technical teams were maintaining close contact with their US counterparts to address the remaining matters in a constructive manner.

Focus on outstanding issues

The latest engagement indicates that both governments are continuing to work through pending points in the reciprocal trade framework rather than treating the talks as concluded. The official announcement said the meeting was aimed at advancing the ongoing negotiations while also exploring fresh opportunities for economic cooperation.

The US is pressing Pakistan to increase imports as part of efforts to narrow the trade gap between the two countries. At the same time, both sides signalled support for a trade framework that is reciprocal and designed to strengthen longer-term economic ties.

No further details were provided in the report about the specific sectors or products under discussion. However, the meeting underscored continued official-level engagement on trade matters between Islamabad and Washington, with both sides expressing support for carrying the process forward.

The development comes as Pakistan and the US remain engaged on trade issues through the ART mechanism, with officials on both sides indicating that discussions have been constructive and that work is continuing on the limited areas that remain unresolved.