After American president Donald Trump arrived in Ahmedabad of west India on February 24, he announced the two countries will sign a multibillion arms deal the next day but didn’t seem eager to address their thorny trade disputes.
美国总统唐纳德·特朗普24日抵达印度西部城市艾哈迈达巴德。他宣布两国次日签署军售大单，就棘手的贸易争端显现“不着急”姿态。
Trump sets the tone for US-India trade deal
【“定调”贸易】
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump arrived in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, around noon on February 24, starting his first official visit to India after taking the office.
特朗普和妻子梅拉尼娅24日中午时分抵达古吉拉特邦艾哈迈达巴德。古吉拉特邦是印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪的家乡。这是特朗普就任美国总统以后首次访问印度。
Trump gave a speech at a stadium that was said to be able to accommodate 110,000 people. He set the tune for the tricky US-India trade disputes with the wording that “India and US are in the early stages of discussion for an ‘incredible trade agreement’.”
特朗普在一座据信能容纳11万人的体育馆内发表讲话，给美印棘手的贸易争端“定调”：“为达成‘了不起’的贸易协议，双方处于初级阶段。”
A limited trade agreement has been expected to be inked during Trump’s visit to India, in which India will make trade concessions in exchange for resuming, at least partially, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) treatment from US.
外界一度期待特朗普访印期间美印达成一项有限贸易协议，即印度以贸易让步换取美方恢复或部分恢复普遍优惠制待遇。
But just days before his visit, Trump said that he might strike a grand bargain on trade with India after the presidential election in November 2020. A senior official in the Trump administration admitted February 21 that no limited trade deal will be signed during the two-day visit as Washington still has many concerns over India’s high trade barriers.
只是，特朗普在访印前几天“放风”，说他或许会在11月总统选举后再与印方签署贸易“大协议”。特朗普政府高级官员21日承认，特朗普访印两天行程将不会签署有限贸易协议，美方对印度增加贸易壁垒仍有不少关切。
US Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer wasn’t among Trump’s retinue this time. He called off the trip in mid-February and talked with Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, on the phone instead.
美国贸易代表罗伯特·莱特希泽没有随特朗普访印。他本月中旬取消访印行程，改为与印度商务和工业部长皮尤什·戈亚尔通电话。
Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on February 20 that New Delhi is in no hurry to strike a trade deal with Washington and will not set a deadline.
印度外交部发言人拉维什·库马尔20日说，印度不会急于与美国达成贸易协议、不想设定最后期限。
The US is India’s second largest trading partner. The Trump administration imposed tariffs on India-made steel and aluminum products in 2018 and canceled its GSP treatment last June, affecting more than USD5 billion worth of Indian exports to the US. In response, India imposed tariffs on a variety of American goods too.
美国是印度第二大贸易伙伴。美国政府2018年对印度钢铝产品加征关税，去年6月取消给予印度普遍优惠制待遇，超过50亿美元印度输美商品受影响。作为回应，印度后续对多种美国产品加征关税。
According to reports by Reuters, the US-India disputes focus on whether India should open up its poultry meat and dairy market and relax the price regulation on medical devices.
路透社报道，双方谈判争执焦点是美国要求印度开放禽肉、乳制品市场以及放松对医疗器械的价格管控。
Arms sale is the priority
【着重军售】
On the contrary that Trump wasn’t in a hurry to sign a trade deal, he predicted on February 24 that the two nations are scheduled to sign a USD3-billion arms sales contract the next day.
与“不急于”签署贸易协议的姿态形成对比，特朗普24日“预告”，两国定于25日签署30亿美元军售合同。
"I'm pleased to announce that tomorrow our representatives will sign deals to sell the absolute finest state-of-the-art military helicopters and other equipment to the Indian armed forces," said Trump.
“我高兴地宣布，明天我们的代表将签署协议，向印方出售最好、最尖端的直升机和其他设备。”特朗普说。
Russian media Sputnik reported February 24 that Indian Cabinet Committee on Security approved earlier this month a USD 2.6-billion order to purchase 24 MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters from Lockheed Martin, and New Delhi is also reportedly planning to spend USD900 million purchasing six AH-64E Apache armored helicopters from Boeing.
俄罗斯卫星通讯社24日报道，印度内阁安全委员会本月早些时候批准以26亿美元购买24架洛克希德-马丁公司生产的MH-60R型“海鹰”反潜直升机，印度政府据信打算耗资9亿美元购入6架波音公司生产的AH-64E型“阿帕奇”武装直升机。
Agence France-Presse (AFP) predicted that the representatives of both sides will also discuss the prospects of providing New Delhi, the Indian capital, with missile defense systems that may cost as much as USD1.9 billion.
法新社预期，美印代表还将讨论为印度首都新德里提供导弹防御系统，合同金额可能达19亿美元。
Trump said on February 24 that the United States should be India's premier defence partner, which sounded like a warning for India to rely less on Russia for weapon import.
特朗普24日说，美国必须成为印度的首要防务伙伴。这番话似乎“敲打”印度，在武器进口方面进一步摆脱对俄罗斯的依赖。
As the largest weapon provider for India, Russia signed a more than USD5-billion contract with India in 2018 to supply five sets of S-400 air-defense missile systems, which has prompted the US to give repeated warnings that it may impose sanctions on India if New Delhi continues to buy Russian equipment.
俄罗斯是印度第一大武器供应方。两国2018年签署合同，印方购买俄方5套S-400型防空导弹系统，总额超过50亿美元。就印度购买S-400系统，美国多次警告，如果印度继续采购俄制装备，可能遭受制裁。
Disclaimer: The author of this article is Du Juan. The article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
声明：本文作者杜鹃。文章由英文中国军网编译发布。文中出现的信息、观点和看法并不代表英文中国军网立场。
