US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says only a small number of items remain in trade talks with India.

He met India’s foreign minister in Mumbai.

He then travelled to the western state of Gujarat to visit a major refinery.

Differences remain on tariffs and visa fees.

No signing date has been given.

The Tribune says talks on enhanced energy cooperation are on the agenda.

Latin Times reports that Rubio called India a refining superpower and that the United States wanted more Venezuelan crude to be processed at the Jamnagar refinery. This comes from a single report.

Washington has raised concerns about India’s purchases of Russian oil and is seeking greater energy trade with India, according to Business Today.

Reliance has United States energy interests, which have drawn attention in the talks, according to the same report.

India and the United States still have differences on several issues, according to Business Today, including United States tariffs, immigration restrictions and higher H-1B visa fees.

The reports mention punitive tariffs imposed last year as one of the sticking points.

This is Rubio’s second visit to India in five months, according to Business Today.

He had earlier visited New Delhi in May for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting, according to a daily news digest.

Indian markets opened higher on Wednesday on hopes of progress in the trade talks, but gave up the gains by the close, according to Free Press Journal.

A bilateral trade agreement sets the terms for tariffs and market access between two countries, and talks usually continue until the last items are settled.

The reports reviewed did not describe what the remaining items are, and no agreement has been announced.

Readers should wait for an official announcement from the governments for the final terms.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on his India visit that only a small number of items remain unresolved in negotiations on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, according to Business Today and Business Standard.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0