US President Donald Trump is aiming for a trade agreement which can safely be called extortionary. It resembles the East India Company’s success in turning India into a permanent colony for more than 200 years. Whether India will acquiesce – like Canada, which removed its 3% digital services tax on major tech firms on June 30 to restart trade talks with Washington – remains to be seen.

Though the US Code refers to “trade agreement” 341 times, trade executive agreements or mini trade rent-seeking deals under American trade law jurisprudence require a prior authorisation or approval from Congress through the trade promotion authority (TPA). Regardless of the form of agreement, Congress must authorise the conclusion of a binding agreement so to enable requisite changes requisite legal changes.

Of course, the Indian Vishwaguru went ahead into talks with the Trump administration after prime minister Narendra Modi held discussions with Trump on February 13. The Indian government even boasted of signing a $ 500-billion agreement with little or no preparation.

Later, India’s much-hyped “big, good, beautiful” trade agreement with the United States seemingly made halting progress when it now appears to be teetering following a sudden realisation in New Delhi about........

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