BBC News
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Mega Partnership between the US and India, as he and US leader Donald Trump ended a meeting in which they announced a deal for Delhi to import more US oil and gas in an attempt to shrink the trade deficit between the two countries S
Modi's two -day visit is coming, as Trump recently ordered all US trading partners – including India – to encounter metropping rates.
And while both men praised each other, Trump criticizes India for having some of the highest trade rates in the world, calling them a “big problem.”
The Indian leader, who seeks to soften the upcoming trade barriers, said he was open to reducing the tariffs for goods in the United States, repatriates underdeveloped Indian citizens and buys military fighters from the United States.
At a joint press conference, Modi made several references to Trump's slogan “Make American Great Again”, including his own spin to him: “This is again India great – flashing,” Modi said.
“Maga Plus Miga … (is a) mega partnership for prosperity.”
Trump also added that India would “buy a lot of our oil and gas” in an attempt to close the trade deficit between the two countries.
“They need it. We have it,” Trump said.
As India already relies on imported oil that has been drained from many countries, the energy deal with the United States “presents a relatively low -hanging fruit for both sides,” before the BBC, in front of the BBC.
“The United States is the largest export market for goods and services in India, which emphasizes the administration's desire to prevent commercial relations and to offer discounts to limit the bilateral trade deficit that the US is managing with India,” she said.
However, “India's challenge will be to balance its own trade deficit, as US oil and gas can be more expensive due to a stronger dollar,” said Aythedu Palit, a senior research at the National University at Singapore Institute for South Asian Research.
“Reciprocal tariffs will probably also follow in India at some stage. We hope that in India they will not be more bigger than expected,” said Dr. Palit.
Trump also added that the United States will increase military hardware sales in India by millions of dollars, ultimately delivering Delhi with F-35 fighter jets.
The two also talked about immigration – another pain in bilateral relations – Trump announced that the United States would extradite a person who allegedly conceived the 2008 terrorist attack to stand up to “justice in India”.
Modi thanked Trump for authorizing the extradition and promised to accept repatriation of Indian citizens who live illegally in the United States.
Last week, USA deported On a military plane 104 Indians accused of illegal immigrants, with video Showing deportors in the shacklesS A second flight is expected to land in India on Saturday.
Indians are one of the largest populations of unauthorized immigrants in the United States. They also have the bigger part of the H -1B visas -a program that Trump had temporarily prohibited during his first term And now it's under fresh control.
Shortly before his meeting with Modi, Trump ordered his advisers to calculate broad new tariffs for US trading partners around the world, warning that they could begin to enter into force by April 1.
He acknowledged the risks of his tariff policy, but claims that politics will strengthen US production and the country will be “flooded with jobs”.
Trump told reporters that “our allies are worse than our enemies” when it comes to import taxes.
“We had a very unjust system for us,” the Republican president said before meeting Modi. “Everyone took advantage of the United States.”
The White House also issued a news message that launched a trade shot through the bows of India and other countries.
The document notes that the US average tariff for agricultural goods is 5% for countries where Washington has provided the status of the most favorable nation (MFN).
“But the average MFN tariff in India is 39%,” said the White House Fact Leaf.
“India also charges 100% tariff for US motorcycles, while we are only charging 2.4% Tariff for Indian motorcycles.”
Trump has already set up an additional 10% import tariff from China, citing fentanyl production, a deadly opioid that has laid an epidemic of US overdose.
He also prepared tariffs for Canada and Mexico, the two largest trading partners in America that could come into force in March after being stopped for 30 days.
Earlier this week, he removed the exceptions to his steel and aluminum rates for 2018.