US vice president JD Vance arrived in India on Monday for a four-day visit as New Delhi looks to avoid US tariffs and negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Washington.
Mr Vance is accompanied by his wife, Usha Vance, whose parents are from India, along with their children and officials from the US administration. The couple will visit historical sites in the cities of Jaipur and Agra, including the Taj Mahal.
Mr Vance will meet prime minister Narendra Modi on the first day of his largely personal visit. The two leaders are expected to hold discussions on bilateral ties outlined in February when Mr Modi met president Donald Trump in Washington.
Mr Vance landed at New Delhi’s Palam airport following a visit to Rome, where he held a private meeting with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday.
The US is India’s largest trading partner and the two countries are now holding negotiations aiming to seal a bilateral trade agreement this year.
They have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500bn by 2030. If achieved, the trade deal could significantly enhance economic ties between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties as well.
Mr Vance’s first visit to New Delhi comes amid the backdrop of Mr Trump’s now-paused tariff programme against most countries, including India. It also coincides with a rapidly intensifying trade war between Washington and Beijing, which is New Delhi’s main rival in the region.
Here’s what to know more about Vance’s visit:
Mr Vance’s arrival in India comes weeks after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was in India for a geopolitical conference and two months after Mr Modi met Mr Trump in Washington.
Mr Modi was among the first leaders to visit the US and hold talks with Mr Trump after he returned to the White House. During his visit, Mr Modi kickstarted a negotiation process to minimise the possible fallout of Mr Trump’s tariffs.
Regardless, Mr Trump targeted India with a 26 per cent levy as part of his now-paused tariff programme, which has provided temporary relief for Indian exporters.
During his visit, Mr Modi sought to soften impending trade barriers by saying he was open to reducing more tariffs on US goods, repatriating undocumented Indian nationals and buying military gear. The two countries also agreed to start talks towards clinching the bilateral trade agreement.
India’s deep ties to US business
India is a close partner of the US for bilateral trade, foreign direct investments, defence cooperation, and an important strategic ally in combating the rising influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.
It is also part of the Quad, which is made up of the United States plus India, Japan and Australia and seen as a counter-balance to China’s expansion in the region.
Leading US companies such as Apple Inc and Google have expanded operations in India in recent years. Last month, Mr Musk’s Starlink entered into agreements with two of India’s top telecom operators to provide satellite-based internet services.
Modi and Trump already share rapport
Mr Modi established a good working relationship with Trump during his first term in office. It now appears that the two leaders are likely to further boost cooperation between their countries, particularly in trade as Chinese president Xi Jinping is aiming to position Beijing as a reliable trade partner in the Asia-Pacific region amid rising tensions with Washington.
India has also already taken a number of steps to win over Mr Trump. It will purchase more oil, energy and defence equipment, including the fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, from the US.
The US, however, wants greater market access for its agricultural and dairy products in India, but New Delhi has been reluctant so far as the farm sector employs bulk of the country’s workforce.
Family trip for Vance
Mr Vance’s visit to India marks his first official trip to the country, which has added significance for the second family. His wife Usha Vance — a practising Hindu — is the daughter of immigrants from South India. In his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy”, Mr Vance described his wife a “supersmart daughter of Indian immigrants” whom he met at Yale Law School. Usha Vance’s parents moved to the US in the late 1970s.
