Prime Minister Narendra Modi met visiting US Vice President J D Vance in New Delhi yesterday.
Welcoming ‘significant progress’ in talks for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA), India and the US noted continued efforts to enhance cooperation in energy, defence and strategic technologies, the Indian Prime Minister’s Office said.
PM Narendra Modi met visiting US Vice President J D Vance in New Delhi yesterday.
Both sides hope to conclude the first tranche of the BTA by September-October.
Vance held detailed discussions with Modi, reviewing and positively assessing the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation, the PMO said in a statement.
The two leaders also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred path forward, the statement said.
Both sides hope to conclude the first tranche of the BTA by September-October this year. US President Donald Trump is expected to travel to India around that time to attend the fifth Quad Leaders’ Summit.
The United States is India’s largest export destination, with a trade surplus that widened to $41 billion in fiscal 2024-25 from $35 billion in the previous fiscal.
Vance’s first official visit to India coincides with Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s five-day trip to the United States, where she will take part in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, along with several key G20 meetings.
A team of Indian commerce department officials, led by chief negotiator and commerce secretary-designate Rajesh Agarwal, will start discussions with their US counterparts in Washington DC beginning tomorrow.
Vance’s four-day trip to India is expected to deepen the India–US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.
Meanwhile, US trade representative Jamieson Greer welcomed Vance’s and Modi’s statement reaffirming the importance of the India-US Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology (COMPACT) initiative and highlighting the progress in the negotiations for a BTA.
“There is a serious lack of reciprocity in the trade relationship with India. These ongoing talks will help achieve balance and reciprocity by opening new markets for American goods and addressing unfair practices that harm American workers. India’s constructive engagement so far has been welcomed and I look forward to creating new opportunities for workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs in both countries,” said Greer in a statement.
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