Vice President J.D. Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a personal meeting Monday to finalize a roadmap for a future bilateral trade deal between their countries.
Mr. Vance, stopping in New Delhi as part of a two-leg global tour, set the “terms of reference” for the negotiations, “laying down a roadmap for further discussions about our shared economic priorities,” according to the vice president’s office.
If finalized, the U.S.-India Bilateral Trade Agreement would facilitate “job creation and citizen well-being in both countries, with the goal of enhancing bilateral trade and supply-chain integration in a balanced and mutually beneficial manner,” the office said.
India recently overtook China as the world’s most populous country, at roughly 1.4 billion, and is considered a major economic player and regional force in Asia. The U.S. has tried to foster closer ties with India in recent years, viewing it as a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific.
Mr. Vance’s office described Monday’s meeting as a successful follow-up to Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Modi earlier this year.
Despite Mr. Trump’s courting of Mr. Modi, he slapped a 27% levy on Indian imports as part of his “Liberation Day” tariff plan on April 2.
The tariff is on hold for 90 days to allow time for bilateral talks, though Indian imports still face the blanket 10% tariff that Mr. Trump imposed on all foreign goods entering the U.S.
Monday’s visit had personal meaning for the vice president’s family. Mr. Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, was born to Indian immigrants and is the first Hindu-American second lady.
The Indian government gave Mr. Vance and his family a grand welcome. Their arrival on the tarmac featured a red carpet, traditional dancers and “The Star-Spangled Banner” from a military band.
Signs featuring Mr. Vance’s face and reading, “Welcome, the honorable James David Vance, Vice President of the United States,” could be seen along Mr. Vance’s motorcade route.
The second family received a tour of the Akshardham Temple, a sprawling cultural complex that is dedicated to Hindu cultural heritage and spirituality, and opened in 2005.
Later, Mr. Modi hosted Mr. Vance at his home for a bilateral meeting and dinner with the second family. The family then took a short flight to Jaipur, India, where they spent the night.
The second family is on a trip that included an earlier stop in Italy.
Mr. Vance, a convert to Catholicism, met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and had an audience with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday – one day before the pontiff died.
