NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a “tougher negotiator” than him. He made this statement during a joint press conference with PM Modi.
“He (PM Narendra Modi) is a much tougher negotiator than me and he is a much better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest,” Trump said while addressing the joint press conference.
Trump also said he shares a “special bond” with Modi and India but nevertheless warned that India won’t be spared from higher tariffs he’s begun imposing on US trade partners around the world.
Trump, who had earlier criticized India as the “tariff king,” described the India’s import duties as “very unfair and strong.”
At the joint news conference with PM Modi, Trump said, “Whatever India charges, we charge them. So, frankly, it no longer matters to us that much what they charge.”
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Trump also announced that India and the US have agreed to work together on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). He described it as an important trade route that will operate from Israel to Italy and then to the US.
Speaking about IMEC, Trump said, “We agreed to work together to help build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history. It will run from India to Israel to Italy and onward to the US, connecting our partners, roads, railways and undersea cables, many many undersea cables. It is a big development. It is a lot of money going to be spent and we have already spent some but we are going to be spending a lot more in order to stay advanced and stay the leader. I am pleased to report that with today’s announcements, the friendship between the US and India is the strongest, I believe it has ever been. I think our relationship is the best it’s ever been between two leaders of two countries.”
The IMEC includes an Eastern Corridor connecting India to the Gulf region and a Northern Corridor connecting the Gulf region to Europe. It will have a railway, ship-rail transit network, and road transport routes. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on IMEC was signed by India, the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, the European Union, Italy, France, and Germany during the G20 Summit in India in 2023.
Trump also said the US will increase military sales to India and could provide F35 Stealth fighters in the future. He reaffirmed the Quad partnership‘s commitment to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Starting this year, we will increase military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F35 Stealth fighters. In 2017, my administration revived and reinvigorated the Quad security partnership…Prime Minister and I reaffirm the strong cooperation among the United States, India, Australia and Japan, and it’s really crucial to maintain peace, prosperity, tranquillity in the Indo-Pacific,” Trump said.
Trump also announced agreements on energy imports and trade routes.
“The Prime Minister and I also reached an important agreement on energy that will ensure the US to be the leading supplier of oil and natural gas to India, hopefully, the number one supplier. In the groundbreaking development for the US nuclear industry, India is also reforming laws to welcome US nuclear technology, which is at the highest level in the Indian market,” Trump said.
“We agreed to work together to help build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history. It will run from India to Israel to Italy and onward to the US, connecting our partners, roads, railways and undersea cables. It is a big development,” he added.