India hits the US very hard on terms of bilateral trade; President Trump

Washington: India has been actively preparing for US President Donald Trump’s India visit. But, President Trump, however, makes some mixed remarks, adding to India’s pressure. President Trump has claimed that so far, India has hit the US hard in terms of bilateral trade. At the same time, he added that the US would sign the agreement with India only if it is on the lines of ‘America First’ policy, which is beneficial to the US.

Recently, the US President had criticised that India is not co-operating with the US on the trade front. While addressing an event in Las Vegas, he said that India has hit the US hard in terms of bilateral trade. India has imposed high trade tariffs on the US produce. However, President Trump drew attention to the fact that the US has given greater trade relief to Indian products in the US in comparison. He further added that the US is quite easy-going with India on those grounds. President Trump has said that he will have a discussion with the Indian Prime Minister regarding this.

Earlier, news had surfaced that President Trump’s visit to India will lead to the signing of the trade agreement between the two nations. However, the negotiations between both countries could not be successful. Referring to this, President Trump indicated that India has adhered to a strict stance in terms of trade. However, he also said that the US would only sign the agreement if it is beneficial to the US, or the US administration will show no interest in it. ‘America First’ will be their only policy, claimed President Trump. But, he also indicates the possibility of the trade agreement between these two nations to take place after the upcoming US elections.

Meanwhile, the analysts claim that even if the signing of trade agreement seems doubtful, this visit will undoubtedly develop strategic relations between the two nations. Furthermore, the Defense Trade Co-operation, which was nil in 2008, has now grown to the value of $18bn. This is expected to bloom in the future. The analysts claim that this defense co-operation is the backbone of the US-India relation.

Thus, even though India and the US may not agree on the trade-front right now, the analysts claim that it will not cause repercussions on the bilateral co-operation. Besides, Pakistan has again expressed the possibility that President Trump may take a firm stance on the Kashmir issue during this visit. President Trump had assured Pakistan’s PM of mediating on the Kashmir issue while the PM’s visit to the US. President Trump’s promise that the US will intercede on the matter if India is willing proved assuring. However, the Pakistan analysts drew attention to the fact that Pakistan’s Prime Minister has not paid attention to President Trump’s condition on India’s willingness to talk about the issue. Thus, it seems very unlikely that the US President will talk about the issue during his visit this time.