The Trump administration intends to press India to give online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart full access to its $125bn ecommerce market, as part of a trade deal being negotiated under the threat of increased tariffs.
According to industry executives, lobbyists and US government officials, the US plans to push Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for a level playing field on ecommerce in wide-ranging talks on a US-India trade agreement set to also cover sectors from food to cars.
US vice-president JD Vance met Modi in New Delhi on Monday, where both “welcomed the significant progress in the negotiations for a mutually beneficial” trade agreement, according to an Indian government statement. They also noted the “continued efforts towards enhancing co-operation in energy, defence, strategic technologies and other areas”.