Only 1% work left on India-US trade deal: US ambassador Sergio Gor

NEW DELHI: US ambassador Sergio Gor said Friday no partnership is better placed than India and the US to work together on critical and emerging technologies that are reshaping the global balance of power.

Speaking days after secretary of state Marco Rubio's visit, which was aimed at addressing the rupture in ties although Rubio maintained the relationship was already on a solid footing, Gor said the Trump administration had identified new centres of power and it believes that "the importance of India is now".

Gor also spoke about the "dynamic" US-India space partnership, stressing it addresses emerging threats, advances peaceful use of space, provides "counterbalance to China's influence" and drives technological innovation and economic growth.

The ambassador reiterated the trade deal under discussion would be signed in "coming weeks and months" as the two sides are currently working to finalise the remaining "1%" of the agreement. Gor said a US delegation will visit India next week to continue those talks. "We fully expect that the trade deal will be signed over the next few weeks and months," said the ambassador, speaking at IIT Delhi on the India-US TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology) initiative.

He said the US is one of India's largest trading partners, and India is among the top trading partners of the US, with this growth increasingly driven by innovation, investment, and high-value sectors, from digital trade and advanced manufacturing to energy and emerging technologies, linking not just large corporations but also startups and entrepreneurs.

"We have gathered at a defining moment. One where critical and emerging technologies are fundamentally reshaping the global balance of power," said Gor.
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