Amid Trump’s Tariff Threats on India, US Role in Northeast Development Discussed at Kolkata Dialogue
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, January 16, 2026
At a time when US President Donald Trump has threatened to increase business tariffs on India, a high-level dialogue focusing on what the United States can do for the development of India’s Northeast began today in Kolkata. The US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific: North Eastern Dialogue, Kolkata Chapter commenced at the American Center, Kolkata, in the presence of 35 selected experts and stakeholders from across the Northeastern region.
The day-long dialogue is being organised by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the United States Consulate General, Kolkata. It aims to examine the scope of India–US cooperation in enhancing connectivity, trade and economic prosperity in the Northeast, a region seen as India’s strategic gateway to Southeast Asia and the Bay of Bengal.
Participants are deliberating on key issues such as physical and digital connectivity, riverine and maritime infrastructure, cross-border trade and people to people links, while also assessing how the US Indo-Pacific Framework can support the region’s long-term development. The discussions are taking place against the backdrop of growing global geopolitical tensions and renewed trade uncertainties in India–US relations.
Over 35 delegates from across the Northeastern states are participating in the Kolkata Chapter, which began this morning. The Dialogue engages more than 200 stakeholders overall across multiple chapters, cutting across academia, media, business, government institutions and civil society.
From Tripura, senior journalist Jayanta Debnath, Editor of Tripurainfo.com, independent researcher Debraj Deb, Anup Kumar Ray, President of the Tripura Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and Tushar Kanti Chakraborty, Secretary of the Tripura Merchant Association, are attending the Kolkata Dialogue in person. Two additional invitees from Tripura are joining the discussions online: Dipayan Ghosh, Chief Operating Officer of the Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission, and Advocate Shri Samir Ranjan Ghosh, Chairman of the Tripura Tea Development Corporation.
According to the project brief, a major focus of the Dialogue is on assessing physical and digital connectivity in the Northeast, with particular emphasis on riverine and maritime infrastructure. Strengthening links to the Bay of Bengal through ports, waterways and multimodal logistics is seen as critical for integrating the region with the wider Indo-Pacific. The Dialogue also explores how India–US cooperation can help bridge infrastructure gaps, improve trade logistics and support inclusive regional growth.
The project is being conducted through six regional policy dialogues in hybrid mode across Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, followed by two national-level dialogues in Kolkata and New Delhi. The regional chapters were held between November 2024 and October 2025, each involving over 30 delegates and supported by detailed pre and post-dialogue surveys. These surveys assessed participants awareness of the Indo-Pacific framework and their perceptions of potential India–US collaboration.
Findings from these surveys, compiled into a comprehensive Report, are being discussed today at the Kolkata Chapter, which serves as a national-level pre-dissemination dialogue. The objective is to analyse the findings in depth and refine policy insights related to trade connectivity and economic prosperity in the Northeast, in light of converging India–US interests in the Indo-Pacific. Based on deliberations in Kolkata, the Report will be finalised and later disseminated at the Delhi Chapter.
In the backdrop of ongoing global conflicts and heightened geopolitical tensions involving the United States and several regions of the world, the Kolkata Dialogue has attracted keen attention.
more news...