As US President Donald Trump once again expressed optimism about signing a trade deal with India during his ongoing Asia tour, former Indian diplomats have called for stability and predictability in bilateral trade policies, warning that erratic tariff decisions and sanctions have undermined investor confidence.

Former Foreign Secretary Shashank said the key problem between India and the United States is not tariffs but the lack of certainty in trade policy. “What hurts businesses and markets most is not the tariff itself, but the unpredictability of it,” he told CNBC-TV18. “Investors and companies can plan for costs, but they can’t plan for confusion.” He noted that the US must recognise that strategic ties and trade are interconnected, and “if you keep changing tariffs on a whim, market

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