In a likely thaw in trade talks with the US, Indian negotiators are set to reach Washington this week to bridge differences with American negotiators and inch closer to a trade deal, a senior government official said on Monday. This comes after the newly-appointed US Ambassador-designate Sergio Gor met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, as well as Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal over the weekend. While it’s unclear if the upcoming meeting with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will be a formal round of negotiations, India has expressed willingness to step up energy imports from the US to resolve Washington’s concerns over New Delhi’s imports of Russian oil. Officials from both the US and India have indicated that resolution of the Russian oil issue is a precursor to the negotiations for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). Tensions between India and the US began to ease after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi on Thursday to discuss the Gaza peace plan. The call was their second conversation since September 16, when the Prime Minister received a call from the US President on the eve of his 75th birthday. The Indian Express had reported that the two sides have been exploring the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Leaders’ Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 26–28. Both sides have yet to announce their travel plans. The likely thaw between the two countries comes at a time when US–China talks appear to be faltering. Reacting to fresh curbs announced by China on critical minerals, Trump threatened 100 per cent tariffs. However, Trump said on Sunday, “Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine! Highly respected President Xi just had a bad moment. He doesn’t want depression for his country, and neither do I. The US wants to help China, not hurt it.” The Chinese embassy in the US said: “China’s position on the trade war is consistent: we do not want it, but we are not afraid of it.” In one of its most direct responses yet to American tariffs, China said: “If the US insists on going the wrong way, China will surely take resolute measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”
