India, US weeks away from finalising trade deal, 99% of the work is done
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s second visit to India in less than five months comes at a crucial juncture in India-US ties, with the trade deal yet to be finalised and the about-turns in Washington’s tariff regime and its dealings with Moscow keeping Delhi on the tenterhooks. In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Rubio describes the ties between India and the US as “positive”, and “the feature of our foreign policy”. Edited excerpts:
Shubhajit Roy: It has been about two years since you took charge as the US Secretary of State. How do you see the trajectory of India-US relationship in this time?
Marco Rubio: I think positive, and in many ways, it has become a feature of our foreign policy. It’s one that we are very focused on. In fact… my very first meeting was with the Quad (grouping) that includes, of course, India, and since then I have had multiple interactions with… must be over a dozen… with my counterparts here, at every forum. This is my second visit here, you have also seen at high levels of our government, (people) visit here, and of course, we had the bilateral visit by the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) to the United States. We are going to continue to build on that.
Now look, we have some challenges because this is not a small country, it is big and important. It has a large economy, it has an enormous business class. So trade has been an irritant, and we are working through on the trade relationship… it needs to be solved. But I also think that, even as that process continues, we have so many areas of cooperation. The Quad being an example, an area of very strong cooperation that is beginning to turn ideas into action… It’s a very, very positive relationship, and that would not be possible without a strong US-India relationship.
Shubhajit Roy: While President Trump has just waived sanctions on purchase of Russian oil, which is a relief to India, there is concern that it might be imposed at some point. Does it put some stress on economic ties?
Marco Rubio: It can, there is no doubt about it. And that is why it has to be managed very carefully, and the relationship we have is so critical… None of these tariffs are meant to punish or harm India. They are part of a broader foreign policy that, unfortunately, involves a war going on between Russia and Ukraine, that we would like to see come to an end. And I’m sure you saw it in our media and our political system (that), when the President issued those waivers and did not impose the tariffs required under a law passed by our Congress, he got criticism for doing it. But one of the reasons why he didn’t impose them is because he understands that it would have a very detrimental impact on a very important relationship with India.
So, it’s part of balancing foreign policy, and it’s difficult because, on the one hand, you want to make sure you can pressure the warring parties to the table to negotiate an outcome in that war… and, on the other hand, sometimes by imposing pressure through tariffs, you’re creating stress on other important relationships… I think the President is trying very hard to balance that… but it will be a challenge.
Shubhajit Roy: Washington and Delhi have been negotiating a trade deal for almost a year-and-a-half now… Both sides have indicated they are trying to find a landing ground. How far are we from a deal, and what are the sticking points?
Marco Rubio: I don’t want to get into the details of the sticking points. I can simply tell you that (they are) there. I won’t call them technicalities, but it’s language-related. It’s basically down to what certain words mean, what certain phrases mean. Because it’s important for both sides to have full agreement. Both sides have to 100% agree on what a deal means. If they don’t, then in the future it can unravel….
Source: indianexpress