Indian PM Modi to visit US from Feb 12 to 13 for talks with Trump
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) speaking to US President Donald Trump during a meeting in New Delhi in 2020.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the US from Feb 12 to Feb 13 and hold talks with US President Donald Trump, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said.
The visit follows an invitation from Mr Trump and comes just weeks after he returned to the White House for his second term. It also comes at a time Mr Modi's government is facing criticism over the treatment of 104 Indian immigrants deported by Washington this week as part of Mr Trump's immigration agenda.
Mr Modi will visit France from Feb 10 to Feb 12 before heading to Washington, Mr Misri said on Feb 7.
Mr Trump spoke with Mr Modi on Jan 27
The two leaders also discussed meeting soon and “that is the promise and the commitment that is now unfolding”, Mr Misri told reporters, adding that Mr Modi’s visit will “give further direction and impetus to this very important partnership”.
India, a strategic partner of the US in its efforts to counter China, is keen to enhance trade relations with the US and make it easier for its citizens to get skilled worker visas.
It is also keen to avoid tariffs that Mr Trump has threatened in the past, citing India’s high tariffs on US products.
India plans to review import tariffs on over 30 items, including luxury cars, solar cells and chemicals, a senior finance ministry official told Reuters this week, potentially leading to increased imports from the US as global trade tensions grow.
The US is India’s largest trading partner and two-way trade between the two countries surpassed US$118 billion (S$160 billion) in 2023 to 2024, with India posting a trade surplus of US$32 billion. REUTERS
