Tag: Trump India visit

Donald Trump says India, US finalise defence deals worth $3 billion

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

India and the US on Tuesday finalised defence deals worth $3 billion, and signed three MoUs, including one in the energy sector, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the two countries have decided to take Indo-US ties to comprehensive global partnership level.

The unprecedented and historic welcome given to Trump in India will be remembered, said Modi at a joint press meet with Trump and added that the relations between the two countries are not merely confined to governments but are people-driven.

Trump announced that the two countries have finalised defence deals worth $3 billion and asserted that their focus was on having a comprehensive trade deal.

The relations between the two countries have never been as good as they are now, Trump said, adding that the countries have made “wonderful deal”.

In his brief remarks at the start of official talks, Modi said “Defence cooperation between two countries is reflective of the rising strategic partnership between India and the US. We also agreed on a new mechanism to contain drug trafficking.”

Modi welcomed the US president and thanked him for taking time out for the visit to India.

President Trump, in turn, said the last two days in India were amazing, especially the event at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad.

“It was a great honour for me. I would imagine they (the people) were there maybe more for you than for me… 125,000 people were inside. Every time I mentioned your name, there were cheers. People love you,” Trump told Modi in front of the media.

Earlier, Trump was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi welcomed Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The US president also received a tri-services guard of honour at the presidential palace.

The Trumps, who also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial Rajghat here, arrived in Ahmedabad around noon on Monday for the first leg of their 36-hour India visit

The visit has been unforgettable, extraordinary and productive, Trump added.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Don’t want to say anything on CAA, it is up to India, says US President Donald Trump

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that issues involving the Citizenship (Amendment) Act are up to India and asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants people to have religious freedom.

Trump, who held comprehensive talks with Modi on the second and the last day of his visit, said these were great and fantastic two days.

“I’m gonna be not at all controversial because…I don’t want to blow the two days plus two days of travel on one answer, one little answer, like John will ask me one simple question and you will blow it out and that will be the end of the trip. You wont even talk about the trip. So I will be very conservative in my answers if you don’t mind,” Trump said at a press conference.

Describing the Kashmir issue as a “big problem” between India and Pakistan, he said it is “a thorn in a lot of people’s sides” and reiterated his offer to mediate between the two countries to ease the tension.

“If anything I can do to mediate, I will do,” he said, adding that Pakistan figured in his talks with Modi. “I have good equation with Pakistan PM Imran Khan. They are working to control cross-border terrorism,” he said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

PM Modi is a ‘very tough’ negotiator, says Trump

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that India and the US are in discussion for a “fantastic” trade agreement.

Terming that the proposed agreement will be among the biggest ever made, he said: “Over the course of my visit, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and I will also discuss our efforts to expand the economic ties between our two countries.”

The US president said that commerce between the two nations has increased “by more than 40 percent”. “We will be making a very, very major, among the biggest ever made trade deals,” he said.

Detailing on it, he said, “We are in the early stages of discussion for an incredible trade agreement to reduce barriers of investments, between the US and India and I am optimistic that working together, the Prime Minister and I can reach a fantastic deal that’s good and even great for both of our countries.”

According to Trump “Prime Minister Modi is a ‘very tough’ negotiator.” India is now a major market for American exports and the US is India’s largest export market, he said.

Trump also said the US was prepared to supply India with defence equipment ranging from drones to helicopters and missile systems.

We look forward to providing the “best and most feared military equipment” to India, said Trump, while addressing a crowd of more than 100,000 people at Motera stadium in Ahmedabad.

Trump said he looked forward to expanding space cooperation between the two nations, and said both sides were at the early stages of reaching an “incredible” trade agreement.

‘Booming America’ is a great thing for India

Trump added a “booming” America is a great thing for India and also for the world and “that’s why, we are so happy to announce that we have had the greatest economy ever in the history of the US.”

“We have proven that the best way to attract jobs and opportunity is to reduce burdens on business, knock down barriers to new investments and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, red tape, regulations and taxes in the US,” he said.

Trump added that Prime Minister Modi has already made significant reforms in India, and the world is looking forward to even more rapid improvement in India’s business climate.

“Under his (Modi’s) leadership, he wants to do and he is doing this at a record pace,” Trump added.

Earlier, President Trump landed for his first visit to India to a grand welcome by Prime Minister Modi and thousands of people who lined the streets and packed into the Motera stadium to say “Namaste Trump”.

There were tableaux, folk dancers and musicians rolling out the cultural tapestry that is India, at the airport, on the way and at the spanking new cricket stadium where people waited patiently since early in the morning to hear the two leaders speak.

Modi, who reached Ahmedabad about an hour before Trump did, welcomed Trump and the US first lady at the airport, hugging the president and warmly shaking hands with Melania.

With inputs from agencies.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Donald Trump, Melania try spinning ”charkha” at Sabarmati Ashram

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

US President Donald Trump and wife Melania paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, which was home to Mahatma Gandhi between 1917 and 1930 during India’s freedom struggle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached the Ashram a few minutes earlier, showed Trump ‘Hriday Kunj’, a room inside the Ashram where Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba lived. Modi explained the importance of this place in India’s freedom struggle.

During the visit, Trump and Melania also tried their hands on the khadi spinning wheel, also known as charkha. Melania also helped Trump in weaving khadi on charkha.

US President @realDonaldTrump & First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram

Courtesy: @DDNewslive#DonaldTrump #NamasteTrump #NarendraModi #USA #India pic.twitter.com/8TeJAIqMpX

— CNBC-TV18 News (@CNBCTV18News) February 24, 2020

“To my great friend Prime Minister Modi – Thank you for this wonderful visit,” wrote Trump and signed the message in the visitors’ book of the Ashram. The Trumps stayed in the Ashram for around 15 minutes.

PM Modi also presented “Three Wise Monkeys,” a larger version of one belonging to Mahatma Gandhi, as a memento to the US president.

Trump and Modi then resumed their roadshow till Motera stadium.

(With inputs from PTI)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Deficit, GSP and California almonds: All you need to know about India-US trade

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

US President Donald Trump began his two-day India trip in Ahmedabad on Monday. On his first visit to the country while in office, Trump is accompanied by his wife, Melania, and a slew of officials from his administration, including his daughter and adviser, Ivanka.

In the high-profile visit, Trump will address a sizeable crowd at Ahmedabad’s Motera stadium with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visit the Taj Mahal in Agra and conclude the trip in Delhi on Tuesday.

However, a trade deal with India during the visit has been ruled out, with the US president saying that a “big deal” will be signed later. “Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but I’m really saving the big deal for later on. We’re doing a very big trade deal with India. We’ll have it. I don’t know if it’ll be done before the election, but we’ll have a very big deal with India.”

Earlier, Trump has decried India for its trade surplus with the United States. He has also gone on to brand India “king of tariffs”. The two countries have imposed tariffs on each other’s imports, while in a big blow to India, the United States took it off its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) that gave India certain privileges in trading with the United States.

India has since been wanting to get back on the GSP, but without success.

However, the United States’ trade deficit with India is well below a slew of other countries and at $23 billion is completely dwarfed by the humongous $346 billion deficit it runs with China.

Even much smaller economies than India’s have a bigger trade surplus with the United States. Both Malaysia and Switzerland have a surplus of $27 billion.

Spices, rice and essential oils contribute the major chunk of Indian exports to the United States, while India is the biggest importer of California almonds. India imported $600 million worth of California almonds in 2018.

Apart from almonds, India imports fruits, nuts, legumes, cotton and dairy products from the United States.

Further, US direct investment in India has seen a steady rise over the years.

The United States’ direct investment in India came in at a paltry $2.38 billion, according to statistics website. It had ballooned to $24.67 billion a decade later, in 2010. The figure has nearly doubled since, with the US direct investment in the country coming in at $45.98 billion in 2018.

India will look to attract more investments from the world’s largest economy with the welcoming red carpet laid out for the 45^th United States president.

Follow LIVE updates from Donald Trump’s India visit here

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India’s 5G dilemma: Hi Huawei or Bye Huawei?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

OPPO-backed Realme said it will launch a 5G-powered phone in India this month. Vivo’s subsidiary iQoo is also scheduled to launch its flagship 5G phone a day after Realme.

The next generation of wireless mobile communication, which is expected to drive cutting-edge innovation, including transmitting large amounts of data from more objects and locations, has started trickling down to India. Or has it?

Remember, India’s telecom industry has the shadow of unpaid dues hanging. There is no telling how that will play out.

The AGR issue is not the only one gnawing at the transition to 5G. A vital question is whether India should allow Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies in the rollout of the technology. The company owns a 28 percent share of the global telecom equipment market.

In December, the government allowed the company to participate in trials for 5G networks. But there is uncertainty over allowing or banning the company because of intense American pressure to shut it out. The issue gains more significance due to the ongoing visit of US President Donald Trump in India.

The US says Huawei’s gear contained “back doors” that would enable China to spy on other countries. Beijing says not true.

Shenzhen-headquartered Huawei has been blacklisted by countries including the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. But Britain decided in January to allow Huawei to supply new high-speed network equipment. India is part of a bunch of countries still evaluating a decision on Huawei.

Before we go into whether India can afford to ignore Huawei in 5G networks, here is what you should know:

Put simply, 5G requires plenty of equipment. Be prepared to see smaller antenna boxes around you when 5G gets deployed. They could be on-road signals, lamp posts, attached to buildings, or even trees. Equipment comes at a cost.

This means big business for companies like Huawei. Deutsche Telekom estimates that 5G will generate 300-500 billion euros in growth for network equipment manufacturers in Europe alone. This will include new equipment for handling millimetre waves, small cell broadband units, and massive antenna arrays for MIMO.

Can India trust Huawei?

Huawei is at the forefront of 5G research and development. China lost an opportunity with 1G and 2G, learned an expensive lesson from its failed 3G standard, and had substantial catch-up to do with 4G.

It was determined it will not miss the 5G bus. Huawei has applied for 3,300 patents and 1,300 have already been issued.

Since 2007, it has invested massively in next-generation telecommunications, spending more than US$ 60 billion on research and development over the course of a decade. 

The company also has an edge over other players like Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm, and LG because of its pricing. It can leverage its massive production line in China to scale, and in turn, reduce costs.

However, the simple task of adopting the most affordable and reliable vendor for the technology has swiftly become a tangle. The US government banned Huawei from selling its phones in the country, alleging that its products could be used by China for snooping.

The US also barred the company from doing any business with American counterparts. Huawei’s close ties with Beijing have stoked suspicion that its equipment could be used to facilitate espionage, surveillance, and cyber attacks.

The US also wants its allies to distance themselves from Huawei. Australia and New Zealand have joined the US. Germany has put off making a decision. Even Britain will proceed with Huawei equipment, but only in non-core parts of the network.

The US argues China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which says organisations must “support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work”, means Beijing could force Huawei to do its bidding. Huawei maintains that it has never snooped on its users and will categorically refuse to comply.

But we can’t ignore that China is different. The state controls everything at the end of the day.

Experts also say Huawei’s claim of being the best in 5G is a tad exaggerated. Sure, the company has taken the leap, but that doesn’t mean it is the only one that can deploy 5G. Several companies based in the US (Qualcomm), European Union (Nokia and Ericsson), South Korea (Samsung and LG), Taiwan (Mediatek and TSMC), and Japan (Hitachi) are also major providers throughout the supply chain.

Look at it this way: the threat from Huawei isn’t just about corporate competition. It’s about geopolitical power.

What can India do?

India’s existing telecom infrastructure is overloaded thanks to irrational pricing. The industry needs to improve its ARPU, cut down losses, reduce debt, and transform into financially healthy companies.

A delay in the roll out would not be so bad. Even though DoT is optimistic about a launch in 2020, two more years — at least — are required.

The Huawei dilemma is a reminder for India that it needs to skill its engineers better. India has millions but they lack skills.

India must start exploring 5G standards and equipment locally. China has hardly been a good neighbour.

India should also borrow a page from Viettel’s playbook. The Vietnamese company developed its own 5G equipment, enabling it to bypass Huawei. Viettel becomes the sixth global player to develop 5G equipment, the company said recently, putting it on the same plane with the likes of Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia.

India has taken baby steps. More than 200 researchers, students and teachers from across five Indian Institutes of Technology have joined forces over a Rs 300 crore project to develop 5G technology and its use cases in India.

The DoT-backed project is being billed as the biggest collaborative effort between these institutes and will aim to develop a comprehensive test-bed for 5G that can be used by telcos as well as the end consumer.

But that isn’t enough. India needs a new team of experts that can build indigenous solutions.

If this one requirement can be fulfilled, billions of dollars will return to the economy, jobs will be created, and India will be truly independent in the wireless communication space.

Huawei itself offers lessons. As soon as the US barred Huawei from dealing with American companies, the Chinese company kickstarted work on its homegrown operating system, Harmony OS, to take on Google’s Android.

India cannot leave manufacturing to others. Certainly not to a Chinese company.

Shivam Vahia is a developer by hobby and an avid aviation geek.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Passage to India: Trump ready for warm embrace, adulation

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

It was the Trumpiest of offers.

A rally at one of the world’s largest stadiums. A crowd of millions cheering him on. A love fest during an election year.

US President Donald Trump’s packed two-day visit to India promises the kind of welcome that has eluded him on many foreign trips, some of which have featured massive protests and icy handshakes from world leaders. He is expected to receive a warm embrace from the ideologically aligned and hug-loving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, complete with a massive rally soon after his arrival Monday and then a sunset visit to the Taj Mahal.

After hosting Modi at a “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston last year that drew 50,000 people, Modi will return the favor with a “Namaste Trump” rally (it translates to, “Greetings, Trump”) at the world’s largest cricket stadium in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Tens of thousands are expected to line the streets.

Modi “told me we’ll have 7 million people between the airport and the event,” Trump said to reporters Tuesday, then raised the anticipated number to 10 million when he mentioned the trip during a Thursday night rally. Indian authorities expect closer to 100,000.

“I’ll never be satisfied with a crowd if we have 10 million people in India,” Trump said. And as he left the White House on Sunday for the flight to India, the upcoming spectacle was on the president’s mind again: “I hear it’s going to be a big event. Some people say the biggest event they’ve ever had in India. That’s what the prime minister told me — this will be the biggest event they’ve ever had.”

Trump’s motorcade will travel amid cheers from carefully picked and screened Modi loyalists and workers from his Bharatiya Janata Party. They will stand for hours alongside the neatly manicured 22-kilometre (14-mile) stretch of road to accord Trump a grand welcome.

Trump generally dislikes foreign travel and prefers being home in his White House bed; in fact, he noted to reporters upon his departure from the White House that it was a long trip to India and that he was only going to be there one night. But he has a particular affinity for India. He owned a hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, named the Trump Taj Mahal, and he owns multiple properties in India.

“There’s a lot of colour. This is a loud and boisterous country, and that exactly in some ways really fits with the Trump style,” said Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow and director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution. She said Trump is likely to get a king’s welcome from a country well-rehearsed in the art of adulation. A half-million people gathered to hear President Dwight D. Eisenhower speak in 1959; former President Jimmy Carter had a village named after him — Carterpuri.

“In some ways, American presidents go to India to feel loved,” said Madan. She predicted Trump would receive an even grander welcome because the Indians recognise it’s something Trump expects and that could keep them in his good graces.

“It’s not about him, per se, for them. It is the US relationship for India is crucial,” she said.

India has spent weeks making preparations for the visit. At a cost of almost $14 million, the government is blanketing the city with ads of Trump and Modi and hastily erected a half-kilometer (1,640-foot) brick wall beside the road Trump will take to the stadium, which officials are rushing to finish in time for Trump’s arrival. Critics say the wall was built to block the view of a slum inhabited by more than 2,000 people. Stray dogs have been caught and exotic trees planted.

Trump’s foreign visits have typically been light on sightseeing, but this time, the president and first lady Melania Trump are to visit the Taj Mahal. Stories in local media warn of the monkeys that inhabit the landmark pestering tourists for food and, on occasion, menacing both visitors and slingshot-carrying security guards.

Presidents have often used trips overseas to bolster their electoral prospects. Images of American presidents being feted on the world stage stand in contrast to those of their rivals in the opposing party slogging through diners in early-voting states and clashing in debate.

This trip, in particular, reflects a Trump campaign strategy to showcase him looking presidential during short, carefully managed trips that provide counterprogramming to the Democrats’ primary contest and produce the kinds of visuals his campaign can use in future ads. His aides also believe the visit could help the president woo tens of thousands of Indian-American voters before the November election.

Some of Trump’s past trips have been overshadowed by diplomatic snafus and political gaffes. When Barack Obama was running for president, his reception in Germany in front of a massive crowd was featured prominently in an attack ad casting him as a mere “celebrity.”

Beyond the optics, there are serious issues to address as India faces a slumping economy and ongoing protests over a citizenship law that excludes Muslims.

Trade tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium from India. India responded with higher penalties on agricultural goods and restrictions on US medical devices. The US retaliated by removing India from a decades-old preferential trade program.

Though trade will be on the agenda, Trump and administration officials are playing down expectations.

“Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but I’m really saving the big deal for later on,” the president said.

India has been embroiled in protests over its Citizenship Amendment Act. It provides a fast track to naturalisation for some migrants who entered the country illegally while fleeing religious persecution, but excludes Muslims, raising fears that the country is moving toward a religious citizenship test. Passage has prompted large-scale protests and a violent crackdown.

Typically, Trump has not publicly rebuked world leaders for human rights abuses during his overseas trips. But one senior administration official said the US is concerned about the situation and that Trump will tell Modi the world is looking to India to continue to uphold its democratic traditions and respect religious minorities.

Trump is also expected to weigh in on the fate of Kashmir. The Muslim-majority territory claimed by both Hindu-nationalist led India and Pakistan. Trump has offered to mediate and has encouraged India and Pakistan to work together to resolve their differences.

But there is likely to be little public divide between Trump and Modi, two leaders with a similar love of bravado and adoration. At the “Howdy Modi” event last fall, which incongruously linked the Indian prime minister with Texas’ cowboy culture, the two world leaders took the stage hand in hand at a rock concert-like setting that will be dwarfed by the scene in Ahmedabad.

“Get ready to say #NamasteTrump,” tweeted the city, the largest in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, as it geared up to welcome the American president on his maiden India visit as president. It also invited people to join “#theBiggestRoadShowEver.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow