JD Vance calls for stronger relations as trade talks progress
India and the US need to work together successfully for a “prosperous and peaceful” 21st Century, US Vice-President JD Vance said in a speech calling for closer ties between the countries across sectors.
Vance, who is on a four-day visit to India, was speaking at a programme in the western city of Jaipur.
“But I also believe that if we fail to work together successfully, the 21st Century could be a very dark time for all of humanity,” he added.
The vice-president’s remarks came a day after he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both countries said they had made progress in negotiating a bilateral trade deal which Delhi hopes will help it avoid higher tariffs.
India is among a number of countries rushing to negotiate trade deals with the US during President Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on higher tariffs, which ends on 9 July.
India was set to face 27% US tariffs before the pause was announced. Since then, Delhi and Washington have been working towards an early conclusion of trade negotiations.
In his speech in Jaipur, Vance said that the two countries had finalised the terms of reference for the negotiation.
“This is a vital step toward realising President Trump and Prime Minister Modi’s vision because it sets a roadmap toward a final deal between our nations,” Vance said.
He also called Modi a “tough negotiator” and someone “who drives a hard bargain”, drawing applause from the audience.
Modi and Trump share a warm personal relationship: the Indian prime minister was among the first global leaders to visit Trump after his second term began. But the US president has repeatedly taken aim at India’s high tariffs, branding it a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” of trade ties.
Even in the statement issued on Monday after Vance’s meeting with Modi, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer highlighted the “serious lack of reciprocity in the trade relationship with India”.
India has already cut tariffs on a number of goods in the past few months and is reportedly considering more wide-ranging cuts to pacify Trump. But sectors like agriculture – where Washington wants greater access, but India fiercely protects – are still sticking points.
Vance also said in Jaipur that the US is seeking to sell more energy and defence equipment to Delhi. On Monday, in addition to trade, the two leaders had also discussed cooperation in defence, strategic technologies and energy.
The Indian prime minister also said after the meeting that he was looking forward to welcoming Trump to India this year. Delhi is hosting the Quad summit later this year and the US president is expected to attend it.
The bilateral meeting was followed by delegation-level talks and a dinner hosted by Modi for Vance and his family.
Vance arrived in India on Monday morning, accompanied by his wife Usha and their three children. Usha Vance’s parents migrated to the US from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, and some media reports have said that Vance and his wife are keen to introduce their children to their Indian heritage.
Photographs of the three children wearing Indian-style outfits – the two boys in kurta-pyjamas and three-year-old Mirabel wearing a lehenga – on their arrival in India were splashed across Indian newspapers and websites.
The rest of Vance’s visit is largely personal. After the meeting with Modi, the family visited Jaipur city, where they visited the historic Amer Fort on Tuesday.
The family is also set to visit the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra city on Wednesday before flying to the US the next day.
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