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Indo-US Relationship
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio here and discussed bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues, amid ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. "Glad to meet @SecRubio this morning in Kuala Lumpur. Appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues," Jaishankar said in an X post. The meeting came in the backdrop of the proposed bilateral trade deal between India and the US, which, according to an official, is "very near" to concluding. Five rounds of talks have been completed so far for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement between India and the US. On Sunday, Jaishankar held separate talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Thai counterpart Sihasak Phuangketkeow. The 11-nation ASEAN is conside
The US has expressed hope that it can complete several major pending American defence sales to India, as it stressed that Washington and Delhi are mutually aware of the security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday at the Pentagon and said he had a productive conversation on advancing the India-US defence partnership, building on growing convergences of interests, capabilities and responsibilities. According to the Department of Defence (DoD) news article, Hegseth said the US and India are mutually aware of the security concerns in the region, and both nations have the ability to counter that threat together." Hegseth also touched on US efforts to provide India with the tools needed to counter threats in the Indo-Pacific region, the DoD news said. The United States is very pleased with the successful integration of many US defence items into India's inventory," Hegseth said, according to the DoD
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday spoke to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and appreciated the "unwavering support" the US extended to India in its fight against terrorism. In their phone conversation, Singh and Hegseth discussed a wide range of issues -- from long-term cooperation in the defence sector, including training and military exchanges, to expanding industry collaborations. "Excellent discussion to review the ongoing and new initiatives to further deepen India-US defence partnership and strengthen cooperation in capacity building," Singh said in a social media post. "Conveyed my deep appreciation for the unwavering support extended by the US to India in its fight against terrorism. Looking forward to meet him at an early date," he said. The defence ministry said Singh and Hegseth agreed to further build upon the momentum of the "critical and mutually beneficial" partnership across all its pillars. "The two leaders discussed a wide canvas of issues ranging from
Strategic experts on Friday discussed the contours of the current India-US relationship, with some saying that it was a moment where the ties are being "tested", while others said one should not get swayed by words like "transactional" being used by many to describe it. The online panel discussion saw participation from members of some of the think-tanks based in Delhi and Washington. The topic was 'Negotiating a Transactional Relationship: India and the US', and the discussion was hosted by Delhi-based Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). Elizabeth Threlkeld, a Senior Fellow and Director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, emphasised the broader "momentum and continuity in the relationship" between India and the US. The online event was held nearly a month after the cessation of firing and military action between India and Pakistan after a four-day military conflict. While the US has claimed that it played a role in this cessation, India has asserted
The US on Tuesday again placed India on its 'priority watch list' stating that New Delhi remains one of the world's most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights. The US Trade Representative's (USTR) 2025 Special 301 report said that over the past year, India has remained inconsistent in its progress on intellectual property protection and enforcement. It said that although India has worked to strengthen its IP regime, including raising public awareness about the importance of the subject, and engagement with the US on IP issues has increased, there continues to be a lack of progress on many long-standing IP concerns. "India remains one of the world's most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP... India remains on the Priority Watch List in 2025," it said. It added that patent issues continue to be of particular concern in India. "Among other concerns, the potential threat of .
India and the US are looking at an "early mutual wins" before finalising the first phase of the proposed bilateral trade agreement, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. Chief negotiators of both the countries concluded a three-day talks in Washington last week. During the meetings in Washington, the teams deliberated on wide-ranging subjects including tariff (related to goods) and non-tariff matters. "The team discussed the pathway for concluding the first tranche of the mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement by fall (September-October) of 2025, including through opportunities for early mutual wins," it said in a statement. While productive sectoral expert level engagements have taken place virtually, in-person engagements are planned from May end.
While tariff is important, the bilateral trade agreement between India and the US should focus more on non-tariff barriers, a top official of Semiconductor Industry Association said on Friday. India can have a higher share in the USD 600 billion semiconductor market if it plays the cards right, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) President and CEO John Neuffer said during a panel discussion at Global Technology Summit organised by Carnegie India. "As we think about our bilateral future and our cooperation within the BTA (bilateral trade agreement), we shouldn't over-index on the tariff piece of it. There's no doubt about it, that's really important, but more emphasis needs to be given to the non-tariff barriers. That's been talked about in Washington quite a bit. There's customs problems, there's siting regulations that need to be streamlined," Neuffer said. India and the US are holding discussions for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) to rationalise import taxes in the ...
Both India and the US want to expedite the negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) as the two countries are looking at promoting two-way commerce, an official statement said on Thursday. Both the countries have decided to hold sector-specific talks from this month to finalise the structure of the agreement. The keenness to expedite the talks came in the backdrop of the USA's decision to impose additional 27 per cent import duty on Indian goods from April 9 this year. "Discussions are ongoing between Indian and US trade teams for the expeditious conclusion of a mutually beneficial, multi-sectoral BTA...We remain in touch with the Trump administration on these issues and expect to take them forward in the coming days," the commerce ministry said. Through the agreement, the two countries are looking to increase market access for their goods, cut tariff and non-tariff barriers and deepen supply chain integration. A team of US officials, headed by Assistant US Tra
India and the visiting US officials have decided to hold a wrap-up session on Saturday morning to conclude the three-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement, government sources said. They said the discussions are at a "very" early stage. A team of US officials, headed by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is here for negotiations on the proposed agreement. "Early stage of discussions are going on," one of the sources said, adding that nothing has been finalised so far. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the ongoing talks between India and the US for the proposed pact are progressing "well" and will be for the "good" of both nations while protecting India's interests. The official level deliberations assume significance as US President Donald Trump has announced imposing reciprocal tariffs on April 2 on America's key trading partners, including India. He has on multiple forums stated that India imposes
India and the US are planning to negotiate a trade agreement and both countries will focus on increasing market access, reducing import duty and non-tariff barriers, and enhancing supply chain integration, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said that as on date, reciprocal tariffs have not been imposed by the US on India. "Both countries plan to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement. Both countries would focus on increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and enhancing supply chain integration," he said. The US issued Memorandum on Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs on February 13, wherein the Secretary of Commerce and United States Trade Representative are to take necessary actions to investigate harm to America from any non-reciprocal trade arrangements adopted by trading partners and provide a report with detailed proposed remedies fo
India should enhance its foreign trade under bilateral trade agreements rather than multilateral deals and protect its national interest, especially that of the farmers and small entreprenuers, while negotiating with the US, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) said on Monday. The SJM's national council passed a resolution in this regard at its meeting in Chhattisgarh, the RSS affiliate said in a statement. The two-day meeting held in Raipur, which deliberated on a host of issues, including strengthening India's economy amid a changing geopolitical scenario and the Donald Trump administration's policy of reciprocal tariffs, concluded on Monday. "After taking over as US president, Donald Trump has launched a frontal attack on the global free trade system by announcing his intent to impose higher tariffs (on reciprocal basis) on imports from many countries around the world," the resolution said. The move is intended to bring back manufacturing to the US so that the issue of unemployment