Previous trade negotiator with India says lowering tariffs, balancing trade deficit, and agricultural market access key for a US-India deal

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum held a briefing on Capitol Hill with Members of Congress to discuss enhancing the U.S.-India relationship in defense, trade, and technology. USISPF President Dr. Mukesh Aghi and Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra highlighted the importance of this strategic partnership and its ambitious agenda.

No country’s exporters favour new tariffs and there can be real impacts, especially for price-sensitive sectors that face plenty of competition in global markets, Linscott said

Trump Tariff Chaos! US President Donald Trump slaps tariffs on Canada and Mexico and then presses pause. Will India be able to avert the Trump tariff threat? Watch Global Eye as Former Assistant USTR & Senior Adviser USISPF Mark Linscott speaks to Parikshit Luthra.

NDTV’s Maha Siddiqui speaks with CEO of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Mukesh Aghi, on US-India Trade deal talks that have started after Piyush Goyal’s US visit.

Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President & CEO, USISPF, speaks with Rahul Kanwal on IndiaToday about the key takeaways from PM meeting with the President and the road ahead for U.S.-India bilateral ties.

USISPF noted that PM Modi is the fourth world leader that Trump met in his first month in office, which showcases the importance and heft of the bilateral relationship

Sunday, February 16, 2025 | Washington D.C.

USISPF congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald J Trump for the substantive outcomes achieved in their first meeting in President Trump’s second term. Prime Minister Modi is the fourth world leader that President Trump met in his first month in office, which showcases the importance and heft of the bilateral relationship.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming meeting with United States (US) President Donald Trump may focus on a range of issues, including greater market access, a potential trade agreement, buying more defence and energy products, and ramping up investments from America, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mukesh Aghi said.

Jack has held the position of Senior Vice President of Exxon Mobil Corporation since 2014. Before being elected Senior Vice President, he previously served as the Executive Vice President of ExxonMobil Production Company.

Investors expect Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come back to power and they also have confidence in the reform and business-oriented government, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) president and chief executive officer Mukesh Aghi has said.

“Everybody also feels that this time, the elections are more predictable. And that predictable results sends investors coming to India more and more because they feel that the current government is very reform-oriented, is very business-oriented,” the head of the top US-based India-centric business and strategic group told Moneycontrol.

As many as 96 seats are being voting for in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13. The final and the seventh round of voting will be held on June 1 and votes counted on June 4.

There never has been a dispute over power transition in India once results are declared. “So, you will see the momentum (in investments) picking up regardless of whoever comes in, but at this moment, everybody thinks that Prime Minister Modi will come back,” Aghi said.

Indian elections have become a point of interest not only in the US but also in the rest of the world due to the high voter turnout of 65-70 percent compared to the US’ 50 percent, Aghi said. The high volume of voters is also impressive.
“I think everybody looks at India’s election as a role model and so they feel that India is a good place to invest,” Aghi said.

From one election to the other, Aghi said regardless of whether President Joe Biden secures another term or his predecessor, Donald Trump, returns, the impact on the US-India relationship would be marginal.

“Regardless of who comes in, the relationship between the two countries will steadily be positive and move in the right direction,” he said.

Immigration Reforms
Speaking on immigration reforms, Aghi said the US Congress has to improve processes, so that the world’s largest economy can attract more quality talent. He added the US embassy and the state department are deploying more resources, so that the wait time for visa appointments can be reduced to 30 days from over 200 days.

His remarks come amid concerns over growing waiting time for visa and its adverse impact on talent acquisition. The US embassy issued a record one million visas by March-end in the last 12 months, signalling a positive development in visa processing.
“They’re trying to put in more resources that keep on improving… so these guys are really working hard,” Aghi said.

He also highlighted that the reforms are vital for the US in addressing the shortage of nearly a million software engineers and fulfilling the demand for talent in high-tech sectors.

To attract top-tier talent, Aghi underscored the significance of streamlining visa processes, particularly for Indian IT professionals reliant on H1B visas.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa issued to recruit overseas workers that allows US companies to hire professionals for jobs that require technical expertise.

IT chiefs on board
Aghi said the recent inclusion of senior executives of IT service companies on the USISPF board is aimed at synergy between American and Indian firms.
Infosys Chief Executive Officer Salil Parekh and his Cognizant counterpart, S Ravi Kumar, joined the USISPF board this year.
“The reason we brought in two large services companies is because both are large exporters of services and human talent to the rest of the world,” Aghi said. “You’ll see more board members coming in from that perspective

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Washington, Jan 26 (PTI) India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been one of the leading architects of the flourishing India-US relationship, the chief of a top India-centric American business and advocacy group has said.
In his remarks at a farewell reception hosted in honour of the outgoing Indian envoy here on Thursday, Mukesh Aghi, the president and CEO of US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), said Sandhu’s resume of achievements remains long and impressive.
“Ambassador Sandhu has been one of the leading architects of this relationship, which stands at its apex from the deep synergy in clean energy, education partnership, space collaboration, defence, and technology ties,” said at the farewell organised by the USISPF.
Sandhu, 61, retires from the foreign service after 35 years of diplomatic career this month.
However, when Ambassador Sandhu took the helm in Washington in February 2020, ominous times were about to upend the economies and suspend daily lives, Aghi said, adding that a cataclysmic pandemic meant new challenges even for a veteran diplomat.
Sandhu steered through COVID-19, helping Indian students return home, working through visa backlogs for the diaspora, and strengthening vaccine diplomacy between the two countries.
“A post-Covid-era saw the onset of Ambassador Sandhu helping lead the first in-principal Quad Summit in Washington, the restart of the Trade Policy Forum, and then the onset of the I2U2, IPEF, consolidating bilateral ties in multilateral settings,” he said.
     The I2U2 is a grouping of Israel, India, the United Arab Emirates and the United States to deepen technological and private sector collaboration in the region and tackle transnational challenges in six focus areas: water, energy, transportation, space, health and food security.
     The United States launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) along with countries like India, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness for participant economies.
“Today, the Indo-Pacific is a priority as Ambassador Sandhu has overseen new defence partnerships, from iCET to INDUS-X, to drone transfers to jet engine manufacturing deals, from semiconductors to supply chains, ushering in a new chapter in critical technology,” Aghi said.
     The highlights of Sandhu’s tenure, he said, would be the historic state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden’s first visit to India as Commander-in-chief for a momentous G20 summit, and also organising former president Donald Trump’s maiden visit to the country.
However, one must remember that the relationship was not always smooth sailing, he noted.
     “Sandhu’s perspicacity was evinced early on, during his first Washington stint as the First Secretary (Political) as he formed crucial relations on Capitol Hill, with both Democrat and Republican lawmakers, during a time of sanctions from the Clinton Administration,” he said.
     “Today, the relationship is truly bipartisan, and the India Caucus and the Samosa Caucus, are in deep admiration of Ambassador Sandhu’s diplomatic efforts to steer the relationship from choppy waters then to the pristine seas now,” Aghi said.
     His second stint in Washington was as second in command to S Jaishankar, as then DCM Sandhu and Ambassador Jaishankar, wrote the beginning chapters of Prime Minister Modi’s engagement with the United States, he noted.
     “But more important than the dossiers, visits, and agreements, have been the intangible bonds of friendship that Ambassador Sandhu has forged with the diaspora. From young students to veteran business leaders, from entrepreneurs to titans, from cultural communities and caucuses, the diaspora across the US has at least one Ambassador Sandhu story,” he said.
     “Historians will note that he changed the nature of the relationship, forged new connections, strengthened the strategic partnership, and above all remained affable and humble in challenging and celebratory times,” Aghi said.
     Ashley Tellis, a top American expert on India, in his remarks, said that Sandhu has been an insidious contributor to this relationship because he understood right from the beginning how important this partnership is for the future of both countries.
     “In his last tenure here in Washington, he had to deal with a very complex environment in terms of our bilateral relationship. But the fact that we have still managed to stay the course and move this relationship ever upward is a great tribute to you, Taranjit,” Tellis said.
     Eminent Indian American defence expert Vikram Singh said Sandhu has been a steward of this relationship for an entire generation. “For those of us who have been involved, it’s been one of the best parts of our jobs trying to advance this relationship to have you as our partner. You are sought, kind of irreplaceable because you have this long span of history of the period of growth, dynamism, and transformation of the US-India partnership,” Singh said.
     In his remarks, Sandhu recollected the words of Prime Minister Modi at an event hosted by USISPF in the city in which he said that the US-India partnership is not just for convenience, but for conviction, compassion and of shared commitment for a better future. “So our relationship touches the people. It is for development,” Sandhu said.

On the much anticipated electric vehicle (EV) major Tesla’s entry into India, Aghi, who was in India briefly to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit recently, said that there is no discussion on the same as Tesla is awaiting India’s EV policy and that the company’s entry would involve a strong chip manufacturing ecosystem and not just a battery ecosystem. Edited excerpts:

India and the United States (US) have sandboxed the controversy around the alleged plot to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun as both countries are geopolitically aligned — with most US firms such as Apple Inc looking at India to de-risk their supply chain, Mukesh Aghi, President and Chief Executive Officer of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum told Divya A and Ravi Dutta Mishra.

On the much anticipated electric vehicle (EV) major Tesla’s entry into India, Aghi, who was in India briefly to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit recently, said that there is no discussion on the same as Tesla is awaiting India’s EV policy and that the company’s entry would involve a strong chip manufacturing ecosystem and not just a battery ecosystem. Edited excerpts:

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