Trump and Modi discuss China factor, sign defence deal, but no trade breakthrough
- China’s expanding footprint in the Indo-Pacific as well as 5G networks formed part of talks between Donald Trump and Narendra Modi in New Delhi
- Trump’s visit has been overshadowed by violence over India’s controversial new citizenship law
The two leaders and their delegations met for over two hours on Tuesday morning, signing a US$3 billion military equipment sale to India and agreements on greater cooperation in sectors like defence, counterterrorism and geopolitical strategies, aimed at countering the expanding Chinese footprint in the region.
They also signed agreements on mental health and medical product safety, as well as a deal between Indian and American oil companies for building a liquefied natural gas network in India.
However, the two sides failed to make a breakthrough in the crucial, uneasy issue of trade that has led to frequent disputes between them throughout the Trump presidency. Both Trump and Modi said they had made progress in the talks, but the lack of a trade deal shows a conclusive outcome on the issue may evade the two countries.
“Our teams have made tremendous progress on a comprehensive trade agreement and I’m optimistic we can reach a deal that will be of great importance to both countries,” Trump said.