Kashmir is issue between India-Pak; US ready to assist talks: State Dept

It also said Pakistan taking “sustained and irreversible” steps against terrorism is key to a successful dialogue with India

Current Affairs: The Trump organization has propelled a harm control practice after the President’s comments about intercession on Kashmir, with the State Department on Tuesday saying it was a “two-sided” issue among India and Pakistan, and the US “respects” the two nations “plunking down” for talks. It likewise said Pakistan taking “continued and irreversible” strides against psychological oppression is vital to an effective exchange with India.

“While Kashmir is a reciprocal issue for the two gatherings to talk about, the Trump organization invites Pakistan and India plunking down and the United States stands prepared to help,” a State Department representative advised PTI in light of an inquiry if Trump’s comments mirror an adjustment in the nation’s strategy on Kashmir.

India has officially rejected Trump’s case that Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked for his intervention on the Kashmir issue. For over 10 years, the US has reliably demanded that Kashmir is a respective issue among India and Pakistan and it is for the two nations to choose the nature and extent of the exchange.

“We accept the establishment for any fruitful discourse among India and Pakistan depends on Pakistan making continued and irreversible strides against aggressors and psychological militants on its region. These activities are in accordance with Prime Minister (Imran) Khan’s expressed responsibilities, and Pakistan’s universal commitments,” the State Department representative said....

Mike Pompeo promises better relations with India, but plays down trade spat

trade disputes have led to higher tariffs by the two countries and created unease over the depth of their security alliance

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to lessen elevated exchange pressure with India on Wednesday, promising a recharged spotlight on arranging better ties, yet giving couple of points of interest of how they would beat arguments about exchange and venture.

Pompeo’s India visit comes as the two nations ponder issues extending from access to Indian markets for American firms to New Delhi’s interest for outside organizations to store Indian information in the nation, and fares of steel and aluminum to the US The two countries are “companions who can help each other all around the globe,” Pompeo told a joint news meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar after they met.

The present contrasts were communicated “in the soul of kinship”, he included. Be that as it may, any advancement on exchange would most likely be declared at a normal gathering of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at a  G20 summit in Japan this week, monetary and political examiners said. “If there is going to be some kind announcement on trade, it will come at a Trump-Modi meeting,” said Neelam Deo, founder of the Gateway House think tank in the financial capital of Mumbai.

Exchange SPAT

The exchange questions have prompted higher taxes by the two nations and made unease over the profundity of their security union. Specifically, the abrupt presentation of new web based business rules for remote financial specialists in February rankled the Americans since it demonstrated New Delhi was set up to move the goal lines to hurt two of the biggest US organizations, markdown retailer Walmart, and Amazon.com Inc.

Tariff hike is unacceptable, must be withdrawn: Donald Trump to India

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to reduce heightened trade tension with India on Wednesday

US President Donald Trump on Thursday asked India to withdraw retaliatory tariffs that New Delhi imposed this month, calling the duties “unacceptable”. India slapped higher tariffs on 28 US products following Washington’s withdrawal this month of key trade privileges for New Delhi.

“I look forward to speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the fact that India, for years having put very high tariffs against the United States, just recently increased the tariffs even further,” Trump said on Twitter. “This is unacceptable and the tariffs must be withdrawn!” said Trump, who will meet Modi at this week’s G20 summit in Japan.

India’s trade ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters email seeking comment. Trump’s remarks could further worsen a trade row that has led to tit-for-tat tariffs from India and the United States and created an unease over the depth of their security alliance. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in New Delhi on Wednesday, sought to reduce heightened trade tension with India, promising a renewed focus on negotiating better ties, but giving few specifics of how they would overcome disputes over trade and investment.

Trump scrapped trade privileges for India under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), under which New Delhi was the biggest beneficiary that allowed duty-free exports of up to $5.6 billion. India initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120% on a slew of U.S. items, incensed by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from higher steel and aluminium tariffs.

Decoding 'unpredictable' Trump's India policy will be Modi's biggest challenge in US

A public validation of the India-US strategic partnership by Trump would be important

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump will provide the first real indication of where US policy on India is headed under the new administration and whether progress is guaranteed or dubious.

It might be one of Modi’s most challenging meetings with a foreign leader, whose election came as a surprise to world leaders, throwing old calculations about US leadership off while making the evolution of a multipolar world a near certainty. Trump is focused inward and it is unlikely he would become an internationalist any time soon.

Modi will have to assess whether Indo-US relations will remain upwardly mobile and stay on the trajectory set by former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, or if ties will plateau in the short term under Trump. That India has not indulged in ostentatious criticism of the US president is a plus.| economy news

Modi moved India closer towards the US during the Obama administration, issuing a joint vision statement on the Indo-Pacific and declaring that the two democracies had overcome the “hesitations of history”. The oft-cited phrase may still hold true but to what extent is the question.

economy policy| A public validation of the India-US strategic partnership by Trump would be important. Trump’s unpredictability has sent India back to the hedging table, reinvigorating old friendships and exploring new ones. It can be argued that Modi’s recent visits to Germany, France and Russia, and his determined outreach to Japan represent a new version of India’s old strategy of diversification, albeit with renewed determination. Modi will visit Israel next month in the first ever prime ministerial trip and abandon another hesitation of history, as it were.

As India repositions itself and adjusts to new realities, the relationship with the US remains key for both strategic and economic reasons, and the convergence of interest is unlikely to disappear. The US is an important trade partner, an attractive destination for Indian students and a source of high technology, even if demanding in the process.

“The best outcome of the meeting? Trump sees investing in India as good for his interests and for the US national interest,” said Ashley J. Tellis, a prominent strategic expert who has advised former presidents on South Asia. “Asian security and China’s rise were big issues for Bush and Obama and India enjoyed a pride of place in their calculations.”