US president promises ‘the big one’ on trade with reciprocal tariffs

Trade is set to dominate the agenda as US President Trump welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House.

Senior White House officials said on Thursday that the hope is to have a bilateral trade deal in place between the two countries this year. They added that the two leaders will focus discussions on areas such as trade, defence, energy, infrastructure and regional partnerships.

“There’s been some early body language from the government of India that has been well received by the Trump administration”, one White House official said. “They’re early but modest steps.”

“I anticipate what you’ll see coming out of [the] meeting today is further momentum towards a solidified fair — and I emphasise that word fair — bilateral trade arrangement between our two dynamic and growing economies”, the official said.