Vance arrives in India, to hold talks with Modi under shadow of US tariffs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
US Vice-President J.D. Vance attends a bilateral meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in Paris, on Feb 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
NEW DELHI - US Vice-President J.D. Vance began a four-day visit to India on April 21 and will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as New Delhi rushes to avoid steep US tariffs with an early trade deal and boost ties with the Trump administration.
Their discussions will cover the first day of Mr Vance’s largely personal visit to the country with his family, which includes visiting the Taj Mahal and making a speech in the city of Jaipur, US officials said.
Mr Vance’s wife, Usha, is the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Mr Vance landed at New Delhi's Palam airport on April 21 following a visit to Rome, where he was granted an audience with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday.
Mr Modi and Mr Vance are expected to review progress made on the bilateral agenda outlined in February when the Indian leader met President Donald Trump in Washington. It includes “fairness” in their two-way trade and growing their defence partnership.
The Indian Prime Minister was one of the first world leaders to meet Mr Trump after he took office, and Reuters has reported that Delhi is open to cutting tariffs on more than half of its imports from the US, which were worth a total US$41.8 billion (S$55 billion) in 2024, as part of a trade deal.
However, Mr Trump has continued to call India a “tariff abuser” and “tariff king”.
“We are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on April 17, speaking about Mr Vance’s engagements in India.
The US is India’s largest trading partner and their two-way bilateral trade reached US$129 billion in 2024, with a US$45.7 billion surplus in favour of India, US government trade data shows.
Officials in New Delhi are expecting to clinch a trade deal with the US within the 90-day pause on tariff hikes announced by Mr Trump
Mr Vance’s tour in India is also seen as laying the ground for Mr Trump’s visit to the country later in 2025 for the summit of leaders of the Quad grouping that comprises India, Australia, Japan and the US.
Mr Harsh Pant, foreign policy head at the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in Delhi, said the timing of Mr Vance's visit was critical in the backdrop of trade talks.
“The fact that the US-China tensions are ramping up, and Vance in particular seems to have taken a very high-profile role in American diplomacy, also means that the visit assumes an added layer of significance,” he said.
Mr Vance is accompanied by US administration officials, but the two sides are unlikely to sign any deals during the visit, people familiar with the matter said.
India and the US expect to ink a framework for defence partnership this year, while New Delhi also plans to procure and co-produce arms including Javelin anti-tank guided missiles and Stryker infantry combat vehicles, according to a joint statement issued after the February meeting.
Discussions on such procurements would be taken forward during US Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth's expected visit to India in the next couple of months, people familiar with the matter said. REUTERS
