सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Kathmandu. US President Donald Trump on Thursday proposed selling India state-of-the-art fighter jets. Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pledged to boost trade, rekindling a bond that rejects the new US administration’s punitive approach to much of the world.
Modi, the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump’s return, described the like-minded Trump as a friend. He said he was embracing his “Make America Great Again” slogan. Trump said he had a “special relationship” with Modi and India and, in a rare but sarcastic display of humility, praised Modi for being a “much tougher negotiator” than he was.
Successive US administrations have viewed India as a key like-minded partner in the face of a rising China, and Trump announced that the new administration was ready to sell F-35 fighter jets, one of the US military awards. “We are increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars this year,” Trump said at a joint press conference with Modi, “and we are also finally opening the way to provide India with F-35 stealth fighter jets. India will join a select group of countries, including NATO allies Israel and Japan, that will be allowed to buy the F-35, which can operate at supersonic speeds without being detected.
Continuing the efforts of his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump said the two countries planned to build “one of the greatest trade routes in history” by investing in ports, railways and undersea cables. It would run from India to Israel, Europe and beyond.
Trump has clashed with both friends and foes on economic issues. Hours before the meeting, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, including India. Speaking alongside Modi, Trump called India’s “unfair, very tough tariffs” a “big problem” but said the two countries would talk to reduce the trade deficit in India’s favor. Modi said the world’s largest and fifth largest countries would work on a “mutually beneficial trade deal” focused on oil and gas and that it would be concluded “soon”.
Trump’s meeting with Modi was also attended by SpaceX and Tesla industrialist Elon Musk. Musk, as Trump’s right-hand man, has launched an aggressive effort to overhaul the US workforce. Modi also held a private meeting with Musk. This raised questions about whether the world’s richest man was meeting the Indian leader in an official or professional capacity.
The Indian prime minister posted pictures of himself shaking hands with some children and a smiling Indian official on the other side. Modi, a prominent user of Musk’s social media platform X, later said he knew Musk before he became prime minister.
Trump honored
Ahead of Modi’s visit, New Delhi had offered fast-track customs clearance by cutting tariffs on high-end motorcycles. This is a boon for iconic American manufacturer Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson’s struggles in India have further angered Trump. India last week also accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled migrants as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown. The move has drawn criticism from the Indian opposition. The opposition has accused Modi of sacrificing the dignity of citizens to please Trump.
At a press conference, Modi pledged to help undocumented Indians, who he said were being lured by human traffickers. “We are fully prepared to take back any verified Indian who is in the United States illegally,” he said. Trump, in turn, announced that the United States would extradite to India a suspect in the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks. Trump called the man “one of the most evil men in the world.” Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-born Canadian living in Chicago, was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to 13 years in prison. His extradition was expected after his appeal was rejected by the US Supreme Court. Modi and Trump have much in common. Both have pledged to promote the majority over the minority, and both have strongly rejected dissent. Modi has courted Trump strongly in his first term. In February 2020, Modi invited Trump to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people. Trump is likely to visit India later this year for the scheduled summit of the Quad, a four-party grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
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