Keen to forge 'bolder and more ambitious' ties with US: India

India on Friday signaled its willingness to work with the Donald Trump administration in the US to address all matters related to trade and illegal immigration, saying that both sides are keen to forge a "bolder, bigger and more ambitious" relationship.

- Rezaul H Laskar

NEW DELHI:

Since his inauguration, Trump has spoken of imposing "100% tariffs" on the Brics bloc, which includes India, and issued executive orders and proclamations to launch a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants. These moves have triggered worries about the potential fallout on India, though the fundamentals of the bilateral relationship remain strong and trade in goods and services soared to $190 billion in 2023.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to several questions on these issues at a regular media briefing by noting that India and the US have ongoing dialogue on matters related to both trade and immigration that can deal with all eventualities.

Using the words of external affairs minister S Jaishankar at a media briefing after his meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, Jaiswal said India is focused on building "bolder, bigger and more ambitious" ties with the US.