Rubio emphasizes importance of ties with India after Trump introduces new visa rules

(Patria) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the crucial importance of relations between the United States and India, after President Donald Trump's move to impose a fee of $100,000 for new H-1B visas dealt a blow to Indian technology firms, Reuters reported.

Rubio met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and the State Department said they agreed that their two countries would "continue to work together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad."

"Secretary Rubio, reiterating that the relationship with India is of crucial importance to the United States, expressed gratitude for the continued engagement of the Indian government on a range of issues, including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to bilateral relations," the statement said.

Jaishankar earlier said that he and Rubio agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to make progress in priority areas.

U.S.-India relations have been strained due to trade frictions, but they appeared to be improving again until Trump's visa announcement on Friday, which analysts say will increase operational costs for Indian IT companies.

This was the first meeting between Rubio and Jaishankar since Trump imposed additional tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil. They last met in July at a meeting of the Quad group, which brings together the two countries along with Japan and Australia, who share concerns about China's growing power.

India was by far the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, with 71% of approved visas, while China was a distant second with 11.7%, according to U.S. government data.

Indian stock indices fell on Monday, after key information technology stocks lost roughly ten billion dollars in combined market capitalization following the move on U.S. visas.