The speculation about a meeting between the two leaders has been going on since the US and India resumed trade talks.
New Delhi: Amid a thaw in the India-US relationship, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump may hold a meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month.
PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Malaysia for the 47th ASEAN Summit on October 26–27. According to multiple reports, Malaysia has also extended an invitation to President Trump to attend the summit. If Trump confirms his participation, it will mark the first multilateral forum where the two leaders will come face-to-face after Washington's 50 per cent tariffs against India came into effect.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also expected to travel and attend the summit. The speculation about a Modi-Trump meeting has been rife since the US and India resumed talks on a trade deal. Both governments have recently acknowledged that trade talks are underway, and Trump himself has sought to soften the tone. Just days after extending birthday wishes to PM Modi, the US President told reporters he is "very close" to India and enjoys a strong personal rapport with the Indian Prime Minister.
Late last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that India is of “critical” value to his country and welcomed its ongoing interaction in trade, according to the State Department.
After he met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, “reiterating that India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States”, Rubio expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues, including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship.
They “agreed the United States and India will continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad”, it said. The reaffirmation of India’s importance for the US comes after President Trump reached out to Modi to greet him on his 75th birthday after imposing a total of 50 per cent tariffs on India and weeks of harsh statements about India.
In yet another sign of improvement in bilateral relations, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New York to negotiate the first tranche of a trade agreement between the two sides. Both sides remain hopeful of reaching an interim understanding soon.
Trump expected to sign deals during Asia tripNew Delhi: US President Donald Trump is cozying up to the idea of signing more deals with countries during his upcoming trip to Asia, according to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Although he didn’t name any nations with whom America’s agreements were close to being finalized, his statement follows recent “constructive” talks with India in Washington late September. During an interview with Fox Business, Greer emphasized that tariffs would be “part of the policy landscape” moving forward. And yet, forthcoming potential trade agreements with Asian countries offered some semblance of respite. Having just returned from Malaysia, where he sat down with “Southeast Asian countries, all of whom are essentially moving towards final, formal deals with the United States to open their markets,” Greer insisted more trade deals were on the horizon. He further stated that Trump would be swinging through Asia at the end of October. “…we expect that at that time, we’ll be able to sign some of these deals,” Greer added during the interview. |
