Vance calls for greater ties with India, hails progress on trade talks

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called for enhanced engagement with India and said the South Asian country should buy more defense equipment and energy from the U.S. and allow Washington greater access to its market, lending momentum to an expected bilateral trade deal.

Vance, on a four-day visit to India, said he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made progress on trade talks during their discussions on Monday, and confirmed that both sides had finalized the terms of reference for the trade negotiation — a vital step towards setting the road map for the final agreement.

India and the U.S. hope to seal a bilateral trade agreement this year and have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. If achieved, the trade deal could significantly enhance economic ties between both countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties as well.

“I believe there is much that India and America can accomplish together,” Vance said at an event in the western city of Jaipur, where he, his wife Usha Vance and their three children were on a sightseeing tour.

Vance’s first visit to New Delhi came amid the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s partially-paused tariff program against most countries, including India. Earlier this month, Trump announced a 90-day pause in which imports from most countries would face a baseline 10% tax so that there was time to hold talks and possibly structure broader deals.

The trade negotiations are especially urgent for India and could help New Delhi avoid sharp U.S. tariffs. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has portrayed its strategy of tariffs as forcing negotiations that could limit the reach and influence of China, the world’s dominant manufacturer and New Delhi’s main rival in the region.

At the event, Vance sought to assuage fears over Trump’s tariff decisions and said his administration was seeking to rebalance global trade so that the U.S., with friends like India, can build a better future. He said that trade relations must be based on fairness.

“I come here with a simple message," Vance said. The Trump administration “seeks trade partners on the basis of fairness and shared national interest. We want to build relationships with our foreign partners who respect their workers.”

Vance said that he was in India to strengthen ties between both nations, and criticized previous governments for looking at New Delhi as a cheap source of labor.

“I believe that if India and the United States work together successfully, we are going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful,” he said, adding that if this didn’t happen, it would mean a “dark time for all humanity.”

Washington has long sought to develop a deeper partnership with New Delhi, which is seen as a bulwark against China. Modi has established a good working relationship with Trump, and the two leaders are likely to further boost cooperation between their countries.

Modi was also among the first leaders to visit the U.S. and hold talks with Trump that kickstarted a negotiation process to minimize the possible fallout of Trump’s tariffs. The two leaders also said they planned to grow their defense partnership.

India is a close partner of the U.S. and is part of the Quad, which is made up of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia, and is seen as a counterbalance to China’s expansion in the region. It is also a major defense partner of the U.S., a status only enjoyed by some of the closest allies of Washington.

In line with Trump’s push for supplying more military equipment to India, Vance said Washington was seeking greater collaboration with New Delhi for the sale of advanced military gear, as well as coproduction. He also pitched Washington's fifth-generation stealth fighter to India.

“F-35 will help protect your people like never before,” he said.

Over the past several decades, India has been largely dependent on Russian weapons, fighters and military equipment, but has gradually started diversifying its purchase basket from countries such as the U.S., France and the U.K.

In recent years, India has embedded advanced American jets, helicopters, missiles and other equipment into its armed forces and the two countries have announced plans to sign a 10-year framework later this year to further strengthen the defense partnership.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance's wife Usha Vance, second left, talks to invitees after a speech by her husband at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance waves after his speech at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance waves at the audience after speaking at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance waves at the audience after speaking at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance waves at the audience after speaking at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance greets the audience after speaking at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur, India, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California ’s population climbed above 39.5 million in 2024, marking the second year of growth following a string of declines in the nation’s most populous state during the coronavirus pandemic.

The population rose an estimated 1%, adding 108,000 people compared to 2023, according to a report released Thursday by the Department of Finance. The increase is due in part to the number of births outpacing deaths and a boost in the number of adults 65 and older. The state said it also had better data to account for increases in legal immigration into the state from other countries.

About one in nine people living in the United States reside in California.

The Democratic governor touted the population gains as a sign of the state’s growing economy, which is one of the largest in the world. The size of the state's economy has now surpassed that of Japan, which puts it only behind the U.S. as a whole, China and Germany, Newsom's office announced last week.

“People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream, where rights are protected and people are respected,” Newsom said in a statement. “Regions throughout California are growing, strengthening local communities and boosting our state’s future.”

But Republicans in the Democrat-dominated state and beyond have taken aim at California's population declines in the past and the loss of its residents to Texas, which previously made up the largest state-to-state movement in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data.

Critics have tied past population decreases in the Golden State to the relentless homelessness crisis and rising cost of living. California has some of the highest housing, gas and utility prices in the country.

The state also revised its estimate for legal immigration into California from other countries from 2021 to 2024 by roughly 277,000 people, citing better data. The estimated total number of legal immigrants during that period now stands at about 655,000, the Department of Finance said.

Seven of the 10 largest cities saw an increase in population in 2024, including Bakersfield and San Diego, which both grew by more than 1% to roughly 419,000 and 1.4 million, respectively. San Francisco, San Jose and Anaheim saw decreases in population by less than 0.5%.

The population rose in nine of the 10 largest counties, with Los Angeles County increasing by 28,000 compared to 2023. In Contra Costa, the state’s ninth most populous county that is part of the San Francisco Bay Area, the number of residents fell by just two dozen.

In Mono, a small county on the California-Nevada border around Yosemite National Park, the population growth rate fell by about 1.6%.

Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna

FILE - The Los Angeles skyline is seen from a Baldwin Hills overlook, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)