Talking mode: On U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance’s visit to India

U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance’s first visit to India was marred by the brutal terror attacks in Pahalgam, but his messages of solidarity with India, even as he chose to continue his family vacation at the Taj Mahal, have been appreciated in New Delhi. Visits by American Presidents to India have been rare, other than for ceremonial reasons, and Mr. Vance is the first American Vice-President to travel to India in 12 years, after Joseph Biden visited in 2013. The visit was a “largely private” affair, as Mr. Vance, his wife of Indian-origin Usha Chilukuri Vance, and their three children took in the sights in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. The visit provided for a quick review of decisions made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the U.S. in February, although the Vance-Modi talks on Monday did not produce substantial outcomes apart from an announcement that the terms of reference for the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) being negotiated in Washington had been finalised. They also provided for a chance to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to India later this year for the Quad Summit, and plans for Indo-Pacific strategy. It is unclear whether Mr. Modi raised India’s concerns over a number of issues with Mr. Vance, including U.S. tariffs and their impact on the global economy, the U.S. crackdown on immigration, as well as the recent revocations of visas issued to hundreds of foreign students, more than half of whom were Indian, according to a survey.

However, at a public address in Jaipur, Mr. Vance responded to some of the criticism of the Trump administration’s actions. Rather than seeking to “start a trade war”, Mr. Trump hopes to “rebalance global trade”, Mr. Vance said, and outlined the BTA as a “final deal” for “fairness”. He also raised the need for India to drop “non-tariff barriers” that stop U.S. access to the Indian market — understood to relate mainly to selling agricultural produce and dairy products, a sensitive issue in India. On defence, Mr. Vance said that India was a trusted partner for co-production of U.S. defence hardware, and repeated Mr. Trump’s offer of F-35 fighter jets. He criticised previous U.S. governments for cutting back on fossil fuel energy production, and said Mr. Trump’s policy of “drill, baby, drill” would be to India’s benefit if it increases the purchase of oil and natural gas from the U.S. Finally, he stressed the importance of amending India’s nuclear liability law so that U.S. companies would feel comfortable in setting up nuclear power plants in India. Broadly, Mr. Vance’s effort during his visit to India was to underline the importance of statements and demands already made by President Trump. New Delhi must consider carefully what it seeks from the U.S. in return, as thus far Mr. Modi and his ministers who have travelled to the U.S. have been in “listening mode”, studying the Trump agenda rather than reacting to it — whether it is in the area of geopolitical moves regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel’s war on Gaza, or those spurring global trade disruptions.