JD Vance to Visit India This Month; Trade Talks, Cultural Stops in Focus
US Vice President JD Vance will visit India this month amid critical trade negotiations, with meetings scheduled with PM Modi and visits to Agra and Jaipur.
The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance will embark on a week-long trip to India and Italy beginning April 18. In India, he is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top Indian officials to discuss bilateral economic and strategic issues.
The high-level visit comes as both nations aim to finalise the first tranche of a long-awaited trade agreement, announced during PM Modi’s February meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington DC.
Vance will be joined by his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children—Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel. This marks Usha’s first official visit to her ancestral country as Second Lady of the United States. She has roots in Andhra Pradesh and symbolizes growing cultural connections between the two democracies.
During their visit, the Vance family will also travel to Agra and Jaipur, where they will participate in cultural engagements, according to the White House.
JD Vance’s visit is expected to give momentum to the trade talks that have gained traction following the imposition of 27% reciprocal tariffs by President Trump on Indian goods on April 2. However, the US later announced a 90-day pause on new tariffs for all nations except China, leaving room for negotiations with New Delhi.
“Talks are progressing and it is possible that a win-win deal could take shape within the next 90 days,” a senior Indian trade official told Reuters. The agreement, if finalised, would be the first segment of a broader bilateral trade pact expected to redefine Indo-US economic ties.
The US remains India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade surpassing $118 billion in 2023-24. Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch had led an American delegation to New Delhi in March to lay the groundwork for the current negotiations.
The Biden administration views India as a key ally in the Indo-Pacific region, and Vance’s visit is seen as a strategic move to further economic and geopolitical cooperation.
