Lift trade barriers, boost US imports, Vance tells India

An Indian team is heading to the US for talks on the first tranche of a bilateral trade deal

- Rezaul H. Laskar & Senjuti Sengupta

S vice president J.D. Vance on Tuesday urged India to drop non-tariff barriers, provide access to its markets and buy more American energy and defence hardware even as he emphasised the importance of the two sides working together to ensure a peaceful and prosperous 21st century.

Delivering a speech on India-US relations at the Rajasthan International Centre, Vance was effusive in his praise of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he sought to strike a balance between the Trump administration's economic agenda and the goal of strengthening the partnership between Washington and New Delhi.

Speaking a day after his meeting with Modi in New Delhi, when the two sides announced "significant progress" in negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement and the finalization of terms of reference for the deal, Vance said President Donald Trump wants India to grow and to build a future along with partners.

Vance also criticized previous US administrations for their handling of ties with India, saying Washington had approached Modi "with an attitude of preachiness or even...condescension".