'Won't make the same mistake': Nearing a trade deal with India, US signals one lesson it learned from China

Christopher Landau (Image: ANI)

• US-India trade deal negotiations are nearing completion
• US aims to avoid past trade mistakes made with China
• US sees India as a key strategic and economic partner

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The United States will ensure that any trade agreement with India protects American interests, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on Thursday, while adding that negotiations on the proposed deal are nearing completion.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Landau said the US administration intends to ensure that future trade arrangements with India avoid the mistakes Washington believes it made in earlier economic engagements with China.

“India should understand that we're not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago in terms of saying, ‘Oh, you know, we're going to let you be able to develop all these markets,’ and then the next thing we know, you're beating us in a lot of commercial things,” Landau said.

He added that the United States would prioritise outcomes that are fair to its domestic constituencies. “We're going to make sure that whatever we do, it's fair to our people. Because ultimately, we have to be accountable to our own people, just as the government of India has to be accountable to its people,” he said.

Trade deal nearing completion

Landau said Washington is optimistic about the progress of negotiations with New Delhi and described the agreement as close to completion.

“We are very excited about the trade deal that is almost at the finish line now,” he said during the discussion.

The United States and India earlier announced a framework for an interim agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade terms. The framework forms part of the broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) process launched by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“America First does not mean America alone”

Addressing perceptions around the US administration’s economic policy, Landau said the “America First” approach should not be interpreted as isolationist.

“America First obviously does not mean America alone, because one of the ways that you can accomplish those objectives is through cooperation with other countries,” he said.

Landau added that pursuing national interest is a common principle across sovereign governments.

“So just as President Trump wants to make America great again, he would expect the Prime Minister of India or other leaders to want to make their countries great again,” he said.

US sees India as a defining partner of the century

Landau said Washington sees India as a key strategic and economic partner in the coming decades.

“I think one of the things that is undeniable is that this century is going to be, in many ways, a century in which we expect to see the rise of India,” he said.

He noted that India’s demographic and economic scale makes it central to global developments.

“And it's in our interest, and we think it's also in India's interest, to be partnered. This is a country of all its potential. It's now the world's most populous country. It has incredible economic, human, and other resources that make it one of the countries that's going to decide the future of this century,” Landau said.

Reaffirming the US position on bilateral cooperation, he said the relationship is guided by mutual interests rather than charity.

“I want to highlight the importance of India as we look around the world in the 21st century and see what are the relationships that we really want to cultivate,” he said. “And again, I'm not here to do social work or charity. I'm here because it's in the interest of our country, and we think it's in the interest of India to deepen our partnership.”

Landau added that the United States sees several “win-win situations with India” as both countries work toward expanding economic ties under the proposed bilateral trade agreement.