Modi, Vance review trade deal progress
Amid ongoing negotiations for an India-US bilateral trade agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice-President JD Vance tonight reviewed the progress and direction of the talks that the two sides are engaged in for a month.
US President Donald Trump had recently imposed and then paused sweeping tariffs on around 60 countries, including India. New Delhi and Washington are now negotiating a trade deal that is expected to address a slew of issues, including tariff and market access. Vance, his wife Usha and their three children arrived on board a special plane today morning and were received at the Delhi airport by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
A statement from the PM’s office said, “They (Modi and Vance) welcomed the significant progress in the negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US bilateral trade agreement.” The need for enhancing cooperation in energy, defence and strategic technologies was also on the agenda at the meeting held at the PM’s residence, which was followed by a dinner for the visiting delegation.
The two sides also reviewed the progress in other areas of cooperation and said “dialogue-diplomacy was the only way forward”, the statement said.
Sources said the need for dialogue and diplomacy was the reference to the resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Vance has in the past publicly opposed the US funding of Ukraine.
PM Modi extended best wishes to Vance and his family for a pleasant and productive stay in India. He also conveyed his warm greetings to President Trump and said he “looked forward to his visit to India later this year (for a Quad meeting)”.
After landing in India, the Vance family first visited the Akshardham temple in East Delhi. “Thank you all so much for your hospitality and kindness in welcoming me and my family to this beautiful place. It is a great credit to India that you built a beautiful temple with precision and care. Our kids, in particular, loved it. God bless,” Vance wrote in the visitors’ book. He is the first US Vice-President to visit India in 12 years after Joe Biden’s trip in 2013.
India has also already taken a number of steps to win over Trump. It will purchase more oil, energy and defence equipment from the US. The White House, however, wants greater market access for its agricultural and dairy products, which India has been reluctant to provide as the farm sector employs a bulk of the country’s workforce.
Vance will leave Delhi for Jaipur tonight and stay there at hotel Rambagh Palace. He will visit Amer Fort in Jaipur tomorrow and deliver an address on the US-India relations at the Rajasthan International Centre (RIC) at 3 pm.
On Wednesday morning, the Vance family will travel to Agra and visit the Taj Mahal and Shilpgram, which is an open-air emporium showcasing various Indian artefacts. They will return to Jaipur later in the afternoon and depart for the US from Jaipur the next day.
India