US Vice President JD Vance is flanked by his wife Usha (right) and US military's Pituffik Space Base commander Col Susannah Meyers during their recent trip to Greenland.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New Delhi: United States Vice President J D Vance and his Indian American wife, Usha Vance, will tour India early next week – a visit intended to add momentum to the bilateral negotiations for an early-harvest trade deal, as well as the cooperation between the two governments for jointly combatting human trafficking.
He is visiting New Delhi even as President Donald Trump’s 'reciprocal tariffs' on imports of the US triggered concerns among the exporters of India.
Vance will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday. They are also expected to reaffirm the shared commitment of India and the US to a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region – sending out a message to China. Beijing recently reached out to New Delhi, suggesting that China and India should stand together against the "abuse of tariffs" by the US.
“The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations and the implementation of the outcomes of the India-US joint statement issued on February 13 during the visit of the prime minister to the US,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated. “The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.”
The US vice president and the second lady are likely to be accompanied by the couple’s three children, Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel, during the visit. The Second Family will also visit Jaipur and Agra.
Vance and his family will visit Italy before flying to India.
Modi and Trump, on February 13, agreed to negotiate a trade agreement. They set the target to conclude negotiations, at least for the first part of the agreement, by fall 2025. Trump, however, continued his rants on India’s high tariffs on exports from the US.
The US goods imports from India totalled $87.4 billion in 2024, 4.4 per cent or $3.7 billion more than in 2023. India imported goods worth $41.75 billion from the US in 2024. India was the destination of 2.02 per cent of exports in 2024. The US goods trade deficit with India was $45.6 billion in 2024, an increase of $2.3 billion (5.3 per cent) over 2023.
New Delhi purportedly conveyed to Washington, DC that it was willing to consider slashing tariffs on 55 per cent of the US exports to India, worth about $23 billion.
“The vice president will discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country,” his office said in a statement, which was also circulated by the US embassy in New Delhi. “In India, the vice president will visit New Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. The vice president will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
The US statement said that Vance and the Second Family would also participate in engagements at cultural sites in India.
His is going to be the most high-profile visit from the US to India after Trump took over as the 47th American president. Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, was the first senior official of the Trump administration to visit India. She visited New Delhi last month.
Vance and his wife, Usha, whose parents had migrated from India to the US, had earlier called on Modi in Paris on February 12. He was also present when Trump hosted Modi in the White House in Washington, DC, a day later.
Trump on April 2 issued his executive order on reciprocal tariffs, imposing additional ad-valorem duties ranging from 10 per cent to 50 per cent on imports from all trading partners. The baseline duty of 10 per cent came into effect from April 5, and the remaining country-specific additional ad-valorem duty will be effective from April 9. The executive order imposed an additional duty of 27 per cent on India’s exports to the US.
The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a think-tank based in New Delhi, estimated that India’s exports to the US might decline by 6.41 per cent – or about $5.76 billion – in 2025 as a result of the tariff tirade of Trump.
The Trump administration deported 332 Indian illegal migrants from the US aboard military aircraft on February 5, 15 and 16.
Modi and Trump, on February 13, committed to streamlining avenues for legal mobility of students and professionals, and facilitating short-term tourist and business travel, while also aggressively addressing illegal immigration and human trafficking by taking strong action against “bad actors, criminal facilitators, and illegal immigration networks to promote mutual security for both countries”.
A source in New Delhi told DH that Vance’s visit to India would add momentum to bilateral cooperation in curbing illegal immigration.