Sri Lankan delegation to visit US this week for tariff talks

A Sri Lankan government delegation is scheduled to leave for the United States on Friday (July 18) to negotiate a reduction in the tariffs imposed on Sri Lankan exports to the US, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said.
 
The Foreign Minister made this statement while speaking to the media following an event held in Colombo today (July 15).

Meanwhile, during a meeting held on July 12 at the Presidential Secretariat with all stakeholders in the export sector, and with the participation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Chairman of the Export Development Board (EDB), Mangala Wijesinghe, stated that discussions will be held with the United States before August 1 in an effort to obtain further relief from the 30% reciprocal tariffs imposed on goods exported from Sri Lanka.

During the meeting, the EDB Chairman noted that the import of American goods will be addressed during the discussions.

On July 9, Sri Lanka was officially informed that the United States would impose a 30% reciprocal tariff on all goods imported from the country. The White House issued an official letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake confirming the decision.

The initial 44% tariff, announced on April 2, came with a grace period for implementation. That grace period ended on July 9, and the new 30% tariff is scheduled to take effect on August 1, 2025.

In response, Sri Lanka has decided to initiate further negotiations before the August 01 deadline in an effort to secure further tariff concessions.