Modi, Musk Talk Tech Deal with US
India,US committed to advance partnership
New Delhi: Just days before the official visit of United States Vice-President J.D. Vance to India early next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to tech billionaire and Tesla, social media platform X and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, who also heads the US department of government efficiency (DoGE) under the Trump administration and is a key aide of US President Donald Trump.
“Spoke to Elon Musk and talked about various issues, including the topics we covered during our meeting in Washington DC earlier this year. We discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation. India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the US in these domains,” the PM said on X.
Musk is considered one of the most influential persons in the Trump administration and is spearheading the DOGE aimed at cutting government expenditure and reducing the federal workforce.
Musk has reportedly been keen that his "Starlink" global satellite Internet services make an entry into India, while New Delhi is reportedly keen on a large presence of Musk’s Tesla Motors in the country to boost investment in India's growing electric vehicle (EV) market.
Tesla could also be making its debut and has begun hiring for a dozen jobs in Delhi and Mumbai. It is also reportedly hunting for showrooms in both cities.
The phone call between Modi and Musk comes at a time when the United States and China are engaged in a fierce trade war, with both country imposing punishing tariffs on the other — 245 per cent on all Chinese exports to the US and a 125 per cent retaliatory tariff over and above its previously existing 67 per cent tariff by China on all US imports.
These tit-for-tat reciprocal and retaliatory tariffs have had a severe impact on industry since China and the United States are the two largest manufacturing nations globally. Most of America’s top tech firms manufacture a vast majority of their products in China and tariffs have sent tech sector bosses searching for alternate destinations to manufacture their goods.
During his India visit, Vance is set to meet Modi on April 21, the first day of his trip, for discussions on economic, trade and geopolitical ties. He will be accompanied by his children and wife Usha whose parents migrated to the US from Andhra Pradesh.
The visit comes against the backdrop of an intensifying trade war between the US and China. Trump slapped India too with 27 per cent US tariffs on April 2, before he announced a 90-day pause.
Since then, Delhi and Washington have been working towards an early conclusion of trade negotiations.