President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet this week for the first time since Trump returned to the White House last month.
NEW DELHI—India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 12–13. It will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House last month.
Amid a reignited U.S. trade war with Beijing, analysts expect that tariffs and China will be central to the meeting’s discussions.
Last week, the United States imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports. In retaliation, Beijing announced new tariffs on American imports, including 15 percent on coal and liquefied natural gas and 10 percent on crude oil and farm equipment.
The developments generated buzz in Indian media, with Indian analysts opining that the U.S.–China trade conflict could further India’s interests.
Indian media outlets, including the Financial Express, India’s state media DD news, the Times of India, and Asian News International (ANI) predicted that U.S. tariffs on China could benefit Indian exporters by generating a substantial increase in orders.
As a United States–China trade war flared during Trump’s first term as president, Indian exports to the United States rose from $57 billion to $73 billion, according to government sources cited by Indian media.
Trade developments are stirred by geopolitics, analysts said, and thus, much is expected from Trump–Modi’s meeting.
“Of course, there will be discussions on China and its trajectory as well as mutual concerns,” according to Anil Trigunayat, a former Indian diplomat and a distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based Vivekananda International Foundation.
When it comes to U.S.–China relations, Trump appears to be taking a different bilateral approach, Trignunayat said.
India–United States relations are guided by a “global comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said, and he expects an in-depth exchange of views between Modi and Trump this week.
In his phone call with Modi last month, Trump emphasized fair bilateral trade relations with India and “emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment,” according to a White House readout of the meeting.
