Next month Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump will visit India to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit
As the US and India are looking forward to strengthening mutual co-operation, President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet next month ahead of the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Manila.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, Trump will meet with Modi in Manila to review and strengthen the bilateral relationship and to draft policies to build upon the South-Asia strategy.
Initiatives to improve connectivity in Asia Pacific region, as discussed by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during his recent visit to India, will also be discussed by the leaders.
Though the date and timing of the meeting are yet to be decided, the diplomatic sources told Hindustan Times that Trump and Modi will meet this year for the second time. Modi will leave for Manila on November 12 and will return on November 14. Trump will be in Manila on November 12 and 13 but will return to Washington on November 14.
Tillerson, during his recent visit to India, had reiterated Trump administration’s desire to deepen the cooperation with India to counter growing Chinese influence in Asia. This includes improving connectivity in the region as well as increasing manufacturing activities.
Tillerson had said the US may consider alternative plans to the construction of Chinese supported infrastructure in the region. Both the leaders are expected to discuss the matter when they meet ahead of East Asia Summit.
Acknowledging India’s emergence as a world power, Washington has extended support to enhance its military capability. The Trump administration is considering India as a strategic partner in the wake of increasing Chinese influence in the region. The US also seeks India’s cooperation in rebuilding Afghanistan and strengthening its government. As part of the South Asia strategy of the US government, India has to play a vital role in the region to ensure a rules-based order in the region.
Apart from countering China, the US is concerned about the $29.6 billion trade deficit with India. During recently concluded US-India bilateral Trade Policy Forum (TPF), Washington had pushed India to take strong measures to open up its economy furthermore in order to facilitate more bilateral trade.
The US expects India to take action to remove several trade barriers including non-science-based barriers to agricultural trade, continuing and new regulatory and technical barriers to trade that impact sale of US high technology and other products, tariffs in a number of agricultural and industrial sectors.
Top leaders and officials from both nations have been conducting discussions on different areas ever since the Trump administration came to power.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney is in India, lead a delegation of approximately 50 business, trade association and state government leaders who are seeking to grow U.S. agricultural exports to India.
Next month Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump will visit India to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, where she is expected to meet Prime Minister Modi.
Next week, the joint technical group meeting of top defense organizations in both the nations will meet. Meanwhile, Japan may approach the US to begin a strategic dialogue to counter Chinese aggression in Asia.