Vance and Modi are likely to discuss a potential US-India trade deal. Here's what to know

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance began a four-day visit to India on Monday as the two countries seek to unlock economic opportunities and negotiate a bilateral trade deal.

Vance will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi for talks on the economy, trade and geopolitical ties. Vance’s visit is seen as an important diplomatic mission by President Donald Trump’s administration, and it coincides with a rapidly intensifying trade war between Washington and Beijing, which is New Delhi's main rival in the region.

A trade deal between India and the U.S. could significantly enhance economic ties between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties.

The U.S. is also India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at $190 billion until recently.

India’s Foreign Ministry has said the visit will “provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations” and the two leaders will “exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.”

Here’s what to know about Vance’s visit:

Vance’s arrival in India comes weeks after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was in India for a geopolitical conference and two months after Modi met Trump in Washington.

Modi was among the first leaders to visit the U.S. and hold talks with Trump after he returned to the White House. During his visit, Modi hailed a “mega partnership” with the U.S. and kickstarted a negotiation process to minimize the possible fallout of Trump’s tariffs after it had already cut tariffs on a range of U.S. goods.

Regardless, Trump targeted India with a 26% levy as part of his now-paused tariff program, which has provided temporary relief for Indian exporters.

During his visit, Modi sought to soften impending trade barriers by saying he was open to reducing more tariffs on U.S. goods, repatriating undocumented Indian nationals and buying military gear. The two countries also agreed to start talks toward clinching the bilateral trade agreement.

Modi on Friday said he spoke with Elon Musk, noting that he and the SpaceX CEO “discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation,” adding “India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the U.S. in these domains.”

India is a close partner of the U.S. for bilateral trade, foreign direct investments, defense cooperation and an important strategic ally in combating the rising influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.

It is also part of the Quad, which is made up of the United States, India, Japan and Australia and is seen as a counterbalance to China’s expansion in the region.

Leading U.S. companies such as Apple Inc. and Google have expanded operations in India in recent years. Last month, Musk's Starlink entered into agreements with two of India’s top telecom operators to provide satellite-based internet services.

To further boost trade ties, the U.S. and India have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 under the expected trade deal agreement.

The negotiations are especially urgent for New Delhi as it could be hit hard by Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, particularly in the agriculture, processed food, auto components, high-end machinery, medical equipment and jewelry sectors. This poses a significant challenge for Modi's government as it hopes to improve the country's economy and generate jobs with an export-led recovery.

Modi established a good working relationship with Trump during his first term in office. It now appears that the two leaders are likely to further boost cooperation between their countries, particularly in trade. Chinese President Xi Jinping is aiming to position Beijing as a reliable trade partner in the Asia-Pacific region amid rising tensions with Washington.

India has also already taken a number of steps to win over Trump. It will purchase more oil, energy and defense equipment, including the fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, from the U.S.

The U.S., however, wants greater market access for its agricultural and dairy products in India, but New Delhi has been reluctant so far as the farm sector employs the bulk of the country’s workforce.

Vance’s visit to India marks his first official trip to the country, which has added significance for the second family. His wife Usha Vance — a practicing Hindu — is the daughter of immigrants from South India.

In his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance described his wife as a “supersmart daughter of Indian immigrants” whom he met at Yale Law School. Usha’s parents moved to the U.S. in the late 1970s.

Vance will be accompanied by Usha, their children and other senior members of the U.S. administration, and the couple will visit the Indian cities of Jaipur and Agra and participate in engagements at cultural sites, a readout from the White House said.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance departs Giovan Battista Pastine International Airport in Ciampino, Italy en route to New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance departs Giovan Battista Pastine International Airport in Ciampino, Italy en route to New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

FILE - U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance, with their children Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel, wave as they arrive at the Munich airport in Munich, Germany, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance pause near the Oval Office after and event to welcome the 2025 College Football National Champions, the Ohio State University football team on the South Lawn of the White House, April 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a bilateral meeting at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador on the sidelines of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, Feb. 11, 2025. (Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP, File)

LONDON (AP) — The hard-right party Reform UK led by Nigel Farage won a seat in Parliament by a handful of votes and looked set to make more gains in results Friday from local elections the party hopes will show it is a major player in British politics.

Reform's Sarah Pochin was declared winner of the seat of Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by six votes after a recount, defeating Labour candidate Karen Shore.

Labour easily won the district in last year's national election, but its lawmaker, Mike Amesbury, was forced to quit after he was convicted of punching a constituent in a drunken rage.

Although Reform's victory was one of the narrowest in British history, Farage said “it’s a very, very big moment indeed” for politics.

“We are not a protest party, even though there is much to protest about," Farage told reporters at the election count.

The local elections Thursday in many areas of England were a test of feeling about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s center-left Labour government, 10 months after it was elected in a landslide. Both Labour and the main opposition Conservative Party braced for losses in the midterm poll.

The Runcorn victory gives Reform, which got about 14% of the vote in last year’s national election, five of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, compared to 403 for Labour and 121 for the Conservatives.

But Reform appears to have momentum. National polls now suggest its support equals or surpasses that of Labour and the Conservatives, and it hopes to displace the Conservatives as the country’s main party on the right before the next national election, due by 2029.

Reform candidate Andrea Jenkyns — a former Conservative lawmaker who defected to the party last year — was declared winner of the newly created mayoralty of the Greater Lincolnshire region of east-central England. Labour retained three other mayoralties.

Reform hopes to scoop up hundreds of municipal seats in the elections that are deciding 1,600 seats on 23 local councils, six mayoralties and one seat in Parliament. Ballots in most of those contests are being counted Friday.

The results give only a partial snapshot of voter sentiment. Many areas, including London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, did not hold elections on Thursday. Turnout for local elections and byelections is typically much lower than in a national election.

And Reform is not the only story. The centrist Liberal Democrats also hope to build on their success in winning more affluent, socially liberal voters away from the Conservatives.

A majority of the local seats being contested were held by the Conservatives, whose leader Kemi Badenoch could face revolt if the party does very badly. The Tories did extremely well when these areas were last contested in 2021, a time when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government enjoyed a surge in popularity due to the COVID-19 vaccine program.

Reform UK is the latest in a series of parties led by Farage, a veteran hard-right politician who was crucial in taking Britain out of the European Union through a 2016 referendum. A charismatic campaigner, he is a divisive figure who has said many migrants come to the U.K. from cultures “alien to ours.”

Reform blends Farage’s longstanding political themes — strong borders, curbing immigration — with policies reminiscent of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. During the campaign Farage said he plans “a DOGE for every county” in England, inspired by Elon Musk’s controversial spending-slashing agency.

University of Strathclyde political scientist John Curtice said the results showed that politics in Britain, long dominated by the two big parties, was fragmenting and that “Reform are now posing a big threat to both Conservative and Labour."

“They are a major challenge,” he told the BBC.

Reform U.K.'s Greater Lincolnshire mayoral candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns looks on during the count at Grimsby Town Hall, in Lincolnshire, England, for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor election, early Friday, May 2, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, in Widnes, Cheshire, England, for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Reform UK candidate Sarah Pochin, second left and party leader Nigel Farage, second right, arrive at the DCBL Halton Stadium ahead of the result of the Runcorn and Helsby by-election at DCBL Halton Stadium, Widnes, Cheshire, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Reform UK's Sarah Pochin, right and party leader Nigel Farage talk to the media after the party won the seat in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election at DCBL Halton Stadium, Widnes, Cheshire, Friday, May 2, 2025. ( Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, in Widnes, Cheshire, England, for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, Thursday May 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at DCBL Halton Stadium, in Widnes, Cheshire, England, for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election that was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Votes are counted at Oasis Academy, in Bristol, England, for the Mayor of West of England Combined Authority, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

Reform U.K.'s Greater Lincolnshire mayoral candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns, center, gestures during the count at Grimsby Town Hall, in Lincolnshire, England, for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor election, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage speaks during a campaign event at Stafford Showground, Stafford, England, whilst campaigning for this week's local elections, Wednesday April 30, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP)