United States Vice President JD Vance has arrived in India for a four-day visit as New Delhi looks to avoid US tariffs, negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Washington and strengthen ties with the administration of President Donald Trump.
Vance was meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, the first day of his largely personal visit. He was greeted with a hug by the Indian leader at his residence in New Delhi, photos released by the Indian government showed.
Over the visit, the two leaders were expected to hold discussions on bilateral ties outlined in February when Modi met Trump at the White House in Washington, DC.
The US is India’s largest trading partner, and the two countries have been holding negotiations aimed at sealing a trade agreement this year. The talks had started before Trump early this month announced sweeping tariffs on all trade partners, including 26 percent levies on India.
Trump later paused the country-specific tariffs for 90 days. His administration framed the move as part of a grand negotiating tactic aimed at leveraging better deals with partners like India.
Under the current plan being discussed, India and the US have set the ambitious target of more than doubling their trade to $500bn by 2030.
Vance’s first visit to New Delhi since becoming vice president in January also coincides with a rapidly intensifying trade war between Washington and Beijing, which is New Delhi’s main rival in the region.
Modi and Vance are expected to “review the progress in bilateral relations” and “exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest”, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said.
On Monday, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Vance’s visit will “further deepen the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership”.
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