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”.