India US trade deal at ‘finishing line’, says Jaishankar, who calls China border ‘more alive’
Jaishankar said most of the remaining concerns lie on the American side, ahead of a likely Modi visit to the G20 Summit in Miami on 14 and 15 December.
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The India US trade deal is close to done, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, telling a Delhi summit that the two sides have “reached almost the finishing line”, the Deccan Chronicle reported. At the same event he said India’s border with China has become “more alive”, requiring a much greater commitment of troops.
What Jaishankar said at the hindustan times leadership Summit
Jaishankar said talks on the India US trade deal are in their last stretch and that many of the remaining concerns are on the American side, Jammu Links News reported. “Well, it’s certainly our hope, and in many ways anticipation, that we are at the last stretch,” he said, according to The Federal. He added: “The hope is that we should close it out soon.”
On tariffs, he said India had done the work the painstaking way. “If you are serious, you go tariff line by tariff line,” Jaishankar said. “But I think having put in that effort, we have now reached almost the finishing line.” The Chronicle said he also suggested that the issues on tariffs were sorted out.
India China border: a larger troop commitment
The remark on China came during a discussion on efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to normalise ties after the border face-off in Eastern Ladakh that lasted over four years. “What has happened today is the border with China has become more alive in a way,” Jaishankar said, the paper reported. “It has required a much greater commitment of troops on a sustained basis.”
He said India has bolstered its military capabilities along the Line of Actual Control since the 2020 clashes in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, and that India’s capability to deploy troops on that border has seen “a very marked” improvement.
Key dates and numbers
- 14 and 15 December: dates of the G20 Summit in Miami, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend, per The Federal.
- Early 2025: when India and the US began talks on the proposed trade pact, per Jammu Links News.
- 2020: the year of the Galwan Valley clashes, per the Deccan Chronicle.
- Over four years: how long the Eastern Ladakh face-off lasted, per the same report.
Background: what the India US trade deal covers
India and the US have been engaged in talks to address tariff friction, eliminate non-tariff barriers and boost bilateral market access, the Jammu paper said. India is seeking better tariffs than its competitors for its goods in the US market. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also indicated last month, during a visit to Mumbai, that the two countries were very close to finalising the agreement, The Federal said.
NIS has also covered related diplomacy: sources said a Quad leaders meeting in Manila on 17 November would be the first summit in two years, and India’s US envoy said the USCIRF has no locus standi on citizens’ rights.
What happens next
There has been speculation that India and the US may announce the trade deal after talks between Modi and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. The reports reviewed carry no date for any announcement, so the next marker for the India US trade deal is the Miami summit in mid-December.
A US trade deal would settle tariff friction that affects Indian exporters, and Jaishankar's remarks put the talks in their last stretch. His comments on the China border show how much more troop deployment the frontier now demands. The Miami summit in December is the next likely point for any announcement.