Trump to raise trade barriers, religious freedom on India visit, say officials

US President
Donald Trump will raise concerns over rising trade barriers and tariffs during
his India visit, which begins on Monday, but the onus for the announcement of a
deal was “wholly” on India, senior Trump administration officials said Friday.

The official
took aim specifically at Make in India, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
pet programme, for making “the protectionism concerns in India even greater.”

The US
President is also expected to call for equal treatment of religious minorities
and urge India and Pakistan to resolve their differences bilaterally.

Prospects of
trade deal being announced during the president’s two-day visit have dimmed
considerably despite his efforts to talk it up in public rallies and remarks.
He has spoken of a “tremendous deal” that could be announced now or perhaps
after the November elections, which appears more likely given the long list of
US concerns that need to be addressed.

The United
States has sought more access to Indian markets in dairy and poultry, removal
of medical devices from price control regulation. The official argued that
instead of decreasing trade barriers and tariffs that have been rising and
citing recent tariffs on certain imports from the United States and continued
“important divergences on e-commerce and digital trade”.