Sawt Falasteen - US VP Vance says 'progress' in India trade talks

Washington and New Delhi are negotiating the first tranche of a trade deal, which India hopes will allow it to secure relief within the 90-day pause on steep tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump this month.

"Prime Minister Modi is a tough negotiator, he drives a hard bargain," Vance said in a speech in the city of Jaipur, where he is visiting as part of a four-day tour of India. "It's one of the reasons why we respect him."

Vance, who met with Modi on Monday evening, sketched out a win-win partnership saying the two nations had "much to offer one another", urging New Delhi to buy more US military equipment and boost energy ties.

"We don't blame Prime Minister Modi for fighting for India's industry, but we do blame American leaders of the past for failing to do the same for our workers", Vance added.

"We believe that we can fix that to the mutual benefit of both the United States and India."

Trump wants "America to grow" and "he wants India to grow", Vance said.

"Both of our governments are hard at work on a trade agreement built on shared priorities by creating new jobs, building durable supply chains and achieving prosperity for our workers," he said. "In our meeting yesterday Prime Minister Modi and I made very good progress on all those points."

- Vance defends Trump's tariffs -

However, Vance also pointed out that India could go a "long way" in enhancing energy ties between the two countries.

"One suggestion I have, is maybe consider dropping some of the non-tariff barriers for American access to the Indian market," Vance added, without giving further details.

"Critics have attacked my president, President Trump, for starting a trade war in an effort to bring back the jobs of the past, but nothing could be further from the truth," Vance added.

"He seeks to rebalance global trade so that America, with friends like India, can build a future worth having for all of our people together."

Vance, who is accompanied by his family including his wife Usha, the daughter of Indian immigrants, is due to visit the Taj Mahal at Agra on Wednesday.

Vance said that if India, the world's most populous nation, and the United States work together successfully, "we're going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful".

But he also warned that, if "we fail to work together successfully, the 21st century could be a very dark time for all of humanity".

K.AbuDahab--SF-PST