India, Feb. 3 -- US President Donald Trump "genuinely" considers Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "great friend" - a remark by US ambassador Sergio Gor that now appears borne out by outcomes. The India-US trade deal announced by the Republican leader, which took nearly a year of hard bargaining and tested both New Delhi and Washington, has finally been sealed, and more so, it places India in a stronger trade position than key regional rivals, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Under the deal, the US has reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent. With the revised tariff structure, India has lower levies than several competing export economies.

India's advantage is even more pronounced when compared to China, where tariffs remain steep at...