India-US Trade Deal Stalls as Quad Summit Collapses Amid Blame Game
Tensions have risen between India and the US, with both sides trading blame for the absence of a trade deal and the cancellation of the Quad Summit. Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh have spoken out on the issue, while Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has provided an update on trade negotiations.
Sibal criticized the opposition for blaming the Indian government, arguing instead that former US President Donald Trump's policies were responsible for the tensions. He described Trump's policies as 'wrecking diplomacy' that targeted multiple nations, not just India. Sibal believed holding a Quad summit while Trump imposed punitive measures on India would have sent the wrong message.
Ramesh also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the absence of a trade deal and the cancellation of the Quad Summit. He referenced Trump's remarks on Operation Sindoor, saying it was 'stopped suddenly and unexpectedly' with the first announcement coming from Washington, not New Delhi.
Goyal, however, stressed that India would not sign any trade agreement 'in a hurry or with a gun to our head.' He also stated that India and the US are in the 'advanced stages' of negotiating the first phase of their bilateral trade deal. The idea for India to host the Quad conference in November 2025 came from the Indian government itself, as part of its efforts to position India as a global maritime hub.
The future of the India-US trade deal and the Quad Summit remains uncertain. While both sides continue to negotiate, the blame game continues, with each side pointing fingers at the other. The situation is further complicated by the ongoing tensions between India and China, which the Quad was originally meant to counter.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
