It’s official: Economic corridor with Adani as major player on the table for Modi-Trump talks

Besides defence cooperation (read India purchasing more defence hardware from the US) and trade relations ( India has reduced duty on imports from the US and the highest tariff on top 30 imports from the US is now 7.5 per cent, lower than the average customs duty, said the CBDT chairman in an interview to The Indian Express), countering China's growing economic and military influence is top of the agenda for the talks between the two leaders.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier stated that there was no specific agenda for the talks, that the visit was to cement personal relations between the two leaders. The MEA had also emphasised that PM Modi being among the first heads of government invited by the White House after the inauguration of the second term of Donald Trump as president on 20 January 2025, it indicated the importance that the US accorded to India.

PM Modi of course calls the US President his ‘friend’ and had famously campaigned for him before the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost (Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkar).

The report on NDTV’s website also assumes significance because of the criminal case filed against Gautam Adani, his nephew and several executives by the US Department of Justice last year. The status of the case in the Trump presidency remains uncertain as the US goes through a turmoil with several federal departments being purged.

The NDTV report does not say whether Gautam Adani too has received an invitation from the White House and whether he would be joining PM Modi in Washington DC. However, the Adani Group chairman would be keen for an ‘out-of-court’ settlement to which the Trump administration may not be averse.

The report by NDTV underscores, “Unlike China's BRI, which has been criticised for debt-trap diplomacy, IMEEC is seen as a market-driven, transparent initiative that ensures participating nations retain control over their infrastructure. The $400 billion China-Iran Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has raised concerns among global players. The partnership includes extensive cooperation in energy, trade, and military domains, potentially giving China a stronger foothold in the Middle East. This has further accelerated India's push to build alternative supply chains and trade routes - one of the main motivations behind IMEEC.”

Some of the key features of IMEEC are a 4,500-kilometre trade route connecting India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Europe. The corridor is expected to cut transit times compared to traditional sea routes. Partner nations are expected to also benefit from new ports, rail networks, and energy projects. It is however not clear if this will interest President Trump’s ‘America First’ policy.

The NDTV report, appearing hours before PM Modi left for France enroute Washington DC, stresses the Adani Group’s ‘vast interests in energy, infrastructure, and logistics’ and points out that ‘the conglomerate's strategic investments align closely with India's foreign policy objectives and directly challenge China's infrastructure dominance. The report then goes on to speak of India And the Adani Group’s close relations with Israel and the Adani group’s takeover of the Haifa port.