India, US review strategic partnership amid trade tensions

India and the United States on Tuesday conducted a comprehensive review of their global strategic partnership, holding wide-ranging discussions on trade, investment, defence cooperation and emerging technologies at a time when bilateral relations remain under pressure over Washington’s trade and tariff policies.

The issues were discussed during foreign office consultations in New Delhi, co-chaired by foreign secretary Vikram Misri and US under secretary of state for political affairs Allison Hooker, who is on a four-day visit to India covering New Delhi and Bengaluru. The external affairs ministry said the talks provided an opportunity to assess the full breadth of the partnership and identify areas where cooperation could be accelerated.

According to the ministry, both sides discussed trade and investment ties, defence cooperation, the TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology) initiative, energy collaboration including civil nuclear cooperation, critical minerals, technology partnerships and trusted supply chains. Regional and global developments were also reviewed, with India and the US reiterating their shared commitment to a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

The consultations take place against the backdrop of sharp differences over US trade actions. President Donald Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% punitive levy linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil, contributing to strain in economic ties.

A US embassy spokesperson said Hooker’s discussions focused on supporting India’s long-term development objectives while advancing US security, jobs and competitiveness. She emphasised the importance of deepening cooperation in defence, energy, technology, space and supply chains, and highlighted the value of bilateral collaboration that supports India’s rise as a global technology leader while boosting US innovation.

Both sides welcomed progress under existing dialogue mechanisms and agreed to give fresh momentum to the implementation of the COMPACT for the 21st Century framework, aimed at driving transformative cooperation across defence, commerce and technology.

The talks also sought to carry forward the vision agreed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump during their February meeting, where the two leaders committed to finalising the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement by the fall and to more than doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. They had also agreed to accelerate defence technology cooperation across space, air defence, missile, maritime and undersea domains.

ADVERTISEMENT

During her visit, Hooker will travel to Bengaluru to visit the Indian Space Research Organisation and meet representatives from the space, energy and technology sectors. Separately, US deputy trade representative Rick Switzer will visit India on December 10–11 for a familiarisation visit as both sides continue engagement on a proposed multi-sectoral trade agreement.