By Shivam Patel
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian and U.S. diplomats try to rearrange a gathering in February between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, two Indian sources acquainted with the discussions instructed Reuters.
India, a strategic accomplice of america in its efforts to counter China, is eager to reinforce commerce relations with the U.S. and make it simpler for its residents to get expert employee visas, two matters that will probably be on the agenda if the leaders meet, the sources mentioned.
Trump’s return to the White Home has raised worries amongst officers in New Delhi about imposition of tariffs on India, which he has listed as one of many nations that has excessive tariffs on U.S. merchandise and has indicated that he favoured reciprocating them.
However the sources mentioned New Delhi was prepared to supply some concessions to Washington – though it has not been formally knowledgeable of any plans by U.S. to impose reciprocal tariffs – and was additionally open to providing incentives to draw extra U.S. funding in India.
Officers hope that an early assembly between the pair will assist get ties off to a constructive begin in Trump’s new time period, the sources mentioned, talking on situation of anonymity.
Trump visited India in February 2020 throughout his earlier time period in workplace. Then, he was cheered by greater than 100,000 Indians at a cricket stadium in Modi’s political homeland in Ahmedabad, the place he promised India “an incredible trade deal”.
In 2019, Trump held a “Howdy Modi” rally with Modi in Houston, drawing 50,000 individuals, primarily Indian Individuals.
Laying the groundwork for a brand new Modi-Trump assembly can be on the agenda of Indian Overseas Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who attended Trump’s inauguration on Monday and met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The US is India’s largest buying and selling accomplice and two-way commerce between the 2 nations surpassed $118 billion in 2023/24, with India posting a commerce surplus of $32 billion.
Different matters of debate between the 2 leaders could be enhancing partnership in expertise and defence sectors, the sources mentioned.
Migration could be one other space of debate, as Trump has pledged a crackdown on unlawful immigration however has mentioned he’s open to authorized migration of expert staff.
India, identified for its huge pool of IT professionals, lots of whom work the world over, accounts for the majority of the expert employee H-1B visas issued by america.
Rubio mentioned with Jaishankar considerations associated to “irregular migration” on Tuesday, the U.S. State Division mentioned.
