By Amiti Sen

Copyright thehindubusinessline

It will be a shock if India and the US do not strike a deal soon given all that is at stake for the two countries, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said.

“Given all that is there at stake between India and the US, I will be shocked if there is not a deal of some sort sooner than later. The vibrations, the phone calls, the social media, the deputy trade representative who was in New Delhi this week.. I just have the belief something will happen, sooner than later,” Murphy said in a select media interaction in Delhi on Friday.

On a mission

The Governor is on an economic mission trip to India, one of New Jersey’s “largest trade and investment partners”, focussing on strengthening economic ties and attracting international investments.

Murphy, a member of the Democratic Party, said the decision to lead an economic delegation to India, visiting Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kerala, was taken especially given the ongoing tensions between the two countries.

“We made a decision a month or so ago that this is the exact time when we need to come. The particular relationship between New Jersey and India is so important. It is easy to be here when times are good. It is a lot harder to be here when times are choppy. I am an optimist,” he said.

Last month, US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including 25 per cent tariffs as penalty for buying Russian oil and allegedly fuelling the Ukraine war.

The Governor pointed out that New Jersey had decided to put in place the largest incentive for onshore manufacturing, especially for sophisticated manufactures such as biopharma and biologics.

“If there is a tariff wall that will stay with us for a while, New Jersey has got a programme where you can make the maths work, make the finances work, and have smart onshoring of manufacturing. That is a specific step that we are taking…there will be a deal sooner than later. We have too much at stake… too much history, too much opportunity,” he said.

The areas where New Jersey businesses could collaborate with India include innovation accounting, pharmaceuticals, biologics, life science, tech, telecom, digital, film, television, sports, in tech, logistics, advance food and beverage manufacturing, Murphy pointed out.

Russia deserved all that was coming up its way (in terms of sanctions and other actions), he said. “But there has got to be a way where you can do it without breaking down one of the most important relationships in the world for us and for India,” he said, adding that the signs were now positive and he was sure that cooler heads would prevail.

On mid-term elections

Referring to the upcoming mid-term elections in States such as New Jersey and Virginia, Murphy said that elections often result in course corrections.

“This (the current situation between India and the US) is an air pocket.. a bump in the road. It is not the beginning of a permanent trend,” he said.

Published on September 19, 2025