India news: India-US trade deal 'pretty close,' says Trump
US President Donald Trump says Washington and New Delhi are close to a trade deal as US Secretary Marco Rubio visits India.
Quick Look
- US President Donald Trump and US Secretary Marco Rubio report that an India-US trade deal is nearing finalization during Rubio's official visit to India.
- Meanwhile, the UN calls for an investigation into police crackdowns on protesters.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
US and Indian officials have been engaged in trade deal discussions for over a year amid bilateral tensions over visa restrictions and tariffs.
Donald Trump's assurance on the finalization of the India-US trade deal comes Marco Rubio visits India
Rubio said that 99 % of the work on the trade deal is complete
UN experts have called for an investigation into the police crackdown on protesters in India
Here's a roundup of our coverage from India from Wednesday, October 21:
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Washington and New Delhi are pretty close to concluding the trade deal which has been under discussion for more than a year.
Trump said the deal "could be a much different kind of deal," hinting that the agreement between India and the US could differ from earlier trade pacts.
"They want to make a deal. We’re going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah," Bloomberg cited Trump as he addressed journalists at the White House.
Trump's remarks come while US Secretary Marco Rubio is on a two-day visit to India. The visit is widely being seen as a repair attempt by Washington amid tensions in relations between the US and India over visa restrictions and tariff threats.
Alleviating concerns, Rubio on Tuesday said the tariffs are not meant to "punish India" and the visa restrictions are "not targeted" at the country.
"I think we’re incredibly close. The way I would say it is, we are weeks, not months, away from, I think, finalising it. I think 99% of the work is done. The remaining factor, you have to have 100% done. But I feel very positive of the trajectory that it’s on," he said in an interview with Indian newspaper The Indian Express.
Hello! This is Midhat from DW's New Delhi Bureau bringing you all the important updates from across India.
India is hosting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his second official visit to the country this year. Rubio, who landed in Mumbai, met Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar yesterday.
During the meeting, Rubio and Jaishankar exchanged views on various topics, including trade, defence, technology and energy security. Following his meeting with Jaishankar, Rubio said that the India-US trade deal is "incredibly close."
Today, Rubio heads to the world's largest oil refinery owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani in the western state of Gujarat.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has taken cognizance of the crackdown on protests in the past few weeks and urged Indian authorities to cease the use of "excessive force" against unarmed protesters.
Stay tuned as we bring you more deets from India.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Finalization of the India-US trade deal
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What specific terms are included in the final 1% of the trade deal?
- How will Indian authorities respond to UN calls regarding protest crackdowns?
