US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday hinted at a “beneficial” and “durable” trade deal with India as he visits India.“We have made tremendous progress, and I think we are going to have a trade agreement between the US and India that will be permanent and beneficial to both sides and sustainable in a way that addresses our national interests,” the US official said at a joint media briefing with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. He further said that a US trade delegation would visit India “very soon”.Rubio also pointed out that the US has faced trade issues even with close allies like the European Union. He said, “The difference is that India is a huge economy. It is a big economy where you are the leading trading partner. We trade a lot with India, and obviously, there is a big difference between rebalancing trade with a country of this size and magnitude.” He said Washington believes the ongoing trade recalibration will ultimately benefit both the US and its global partners. He said, “The good news is that through this rebalancing, we will ultimately arrive at a worldwide trade arrangement that is good for the United States, but also good for our trading partners.”Additionally, while emphasizing on promoting India-US relations, Rubio clarified Trump’s stance regarding trade agreements. Rubio strongly defended the Donald Trump administration’s trade policy, saying it was aimed at reshaping Washington’s broader global trade approach rather than targeting any one country.Rubio said, “This is about the United States in the context of trade. The president did not say: ‘Let’s find some way to create friction with India on trade.’He said the administration is trying to address long-standing trade imbalances through a global strategy. “There’s a huge imbalance out there that needs to be addressed. He approached it from a global perspective,” Rubio said.Marco Rubio, who is currently on a four-day visit to India, made the remarks after wide-ranging talks with S Jaishankar focused on enhancing cooperation in trade, critical minerals, energy and defence. Jaishankar, on his part, raised India’s concerns over the changes in the Trump administration’s visa and immigration policy and stressed that legal mobility should not be affected. “People-to-people ties are at the heart of (India-US) relations. I apprised Secretary Rubio of the challenges faced by legitimate travelers with regard to issuing visas,” Jaishankar said after the bilateral talks.
