New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephone conversation with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, during which they discussed avenues for deepening collaboration between India and the United States in the fields of technology and innovation.
Taking to social media platform X, Modi revealed that the two revisited key themes from their earlier meeting in Washington, D.C., held earlier this year. The renewed dialogue comes at a critical juncture as India increases efforts to secure a bilateral trade agreement with the US.
The move is widely viewed as a counterbalance to the potential economic fallout from former President Donald Trump’s hardline trade stance, which recently resurfaced with the imposition of a 27 percent tariff on Indian goods on April 2.
Although Trump subsequently paused the tariffs for 90 days, the reprieve has prompted India and the US to fast-track their ongoing trade negotiations.
Spoke to @elonmusk 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…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 18, 2025
Musk, who has maintained close ties with Trump and currently heads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is also eyeing substantial expansion into the Indian market.
In March, Musk’s Starlink signed a partnership with two of India’s largest telecom firms to roll out satellite internet services across the country. The project is currently awaiting regulatory approval from Indian authorities.
Meanwhile, Tesla has initiated hiring processes in both Delhi and Mumbai and is reportedly scouting for potential showroom locations in these key metropolitan cities, signaling its long-anticipated entry into the Indian electric vehicle market.
The Modi-Musk conversation also precedes the upcoming four-day visit to India by US Vice-President JD Vance, which begins on April 21. Vance, who will be joined by his wife Usha Vance, and their children, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi on the first day of the trip for high-level discussions focused on economic, trade, and geopolitical cooperation.
Usha Vance, whose parents hail from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, brings a personal cultural connection to the visit, adding a symbolic dimension to the diplomatic engagement.
