India spared worst of US ‘forced labour’ tariffs, but hard talks loom

India has been spared the worst of Washington’s latest tariff action, but analysts say much work still needs to be done to secure a long-awaited US trade deal despite the lower-than-expected levy.

The Trump administration’s fresh round of tariffs, unveiled last week, targeted 60 economies it accuses of failing to curb imports made with forced labour.

As late as last month, India was being threatened with a 12.5 per cent rate, but ultimately earned a place among the 17 economies – including...