The US vice-president, JD Vance, is heading to India for talks with the prime minister, Narendra Modi, on a bilateral trade deal as the US tariff war with China escalates and the US global economic alliances fray.
Vance, joined by the second lady, Usha Vance, and their three children, Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel, will land in Delhi on Monday for a four-day visit that blends high-level negotiations with a family sightseeing tour.
The White House described the visit as focused on “shared economic and geopolitical priorities”, while India said Vance’s stay would “provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations”.
Talks will centre on fast-tracking a trade pact amid Washington’s global tariff offensive, even as farmer protests and tensions over US immigration threaten to overshadow the trip.
India was hit with 26% tariffs by Donald Trump on 2 April despite his good relations with Modi. A 90-day pause has offered temporary relief but Delhi remains wary.
To head off further economic fallout, officials in the Indian capital have been working overtime to hammer out the first tranche of the trade deal that both sides hope to have completed by autumn. India has already slashed tariffs on some US goods and further sweeping cuts are expected.
The US is India’s top trading partner, with two-way trade surpassing $190bn (£144bn). That relationship was boosted after Modi paid a goodwill visit to Washington after Trump’s return to the White House. Both leaders pledged to more than double bilateral trade to $500bn – a “mega partnership”, as Modi called it.
