Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, announced that discussions between Sri Lanka and the United States regarding tariffs have made encouraging progress, following the second round of online negotiations held yesterday (23).

The talks focused on several key areas, including reducing tariff rates and removing trade barriers that currently hinder Sri Lankan exports to the U.S. market. 

Dr. Fernando emphasized that the dialogue was constructive and covered a wide range of technical and policy issues.

One of the central points of discussion was the reduction of reciprocal tariff rates, which stood at 44% for certain Sri Lankan goods, and were later lowered to 30% under a directive issued by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The ongoing talks are part of a broader effort to strengthen bilateral trade relations and support Sri Lanka’s export-driven economic recovery.