Indo-US reciprocity

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Donald Trump and Narendra Modi agreed to disagree over tariffs, but went ahead to bolster cordiality in their ties. Their contention to act on reciprocity, premised on respective national interests, saved the day at the summit. Washington and New Delhi had something to boast as they resolved to deepen security cooperation, primarily aimed against China in the Indo-Pacific, and to boost joint production of technologies like AI. A deal to provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters is also on the cards. India's nod to double trade with the US by 2030 by fixing contentious issues in the next six months was a well-crafted quid pro quo.

Modi being the first head of government to meet Trump, who kicked off his second tenure at White House, was noticeable and highlighted the strategic importance in their bilateralism. India's willingness to buy defence equipment worth billions of dollars was music to the ears, and Trump through his obliging body language set the ball rolling for a resounding reset. Likewise, Delhi's thrust to make Washington the "number one" supplier of oil and gas, scaling to $25 billion from $15 billion, would go a long way in reducing the imbalance in trade as the US presently has a $45.6 from $15 billion trade deficit with India. With both the countries on the same page in global security outlook, Mideast stance and investment avenues, it was a smooth sailing for their leadership.

India, nonetheless, managed to play the Pakistan card by bringing to the fore the 2008 Mumbai attacks and successfully seeking the extradition of a JeM militant jailed in the US. That rightly prompted the Foreign Office in Islamabad to condemn linking Pakistan with the terror attacks as "one-sided and misleading". The fact of the matter is that Delhi itself had indulged in cross-border assassinations in Pakistan, and the Sikh community in the US too is a victim of it. While Indo-US ties are thoroughly bilateral, it should not come at the expense of maligning or targeting Pakistan.