一位美国高级官员表示，美印贸易协议已接近最终敲定阶段。这位官员告诉 PTI，双方已基本达成共识（达成度的比例超过 90%），只剩下少数几个问题需要解决。
A senior US official said the US-India trade deal is close to finalisation. The breakthrough could unlock wider movement on diplomacy, Quad coordination and IMEC connectivity.
这位官员还指出，美印关系在其他领域的进展也非常明显：美国国务卿马可·卢比奥预计将于 10 月访问印度；印度总理莫迪计划于 12 月前往佛罗里达州参加 G20 峰会；通过“四方机制”（Quad）加强了两国之间的合作；同时，印度-中东-欧洲经济走廊（IMEC）的建设也在积极推进中。
The US-India trade deal is very close to being finalised and could take bilateral ties to "another level", a senior US State Department official said. The official told PTI that the two sides were "90-per cent-plus there", with only a few final issues still being worked out. The official said the momentum in the relationship was visible across other areas as well, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio's expected visit to India in October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected US visit for the G20 Summit in Florida in December, growing engagement through the Quad, and work on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC.
当被问及贸易协议何时能够签署时，该官员回答说：“请大家继续关注后续进展。虽然我们距离最终达成协议已经非常接近了（达成度超过 90%），但仍有最后一些细节需要完善。我相信很快大家就会看到相关消息。”他还补充说，这项贸易协议的签署“将真正推动美印关系进入一个全新的阶段——在贸易领域，我们已经有几十年没有达到这样的水平了”。
Responding to a question on when the trade deal could be signed, the official said, "I would say stay tuned, which we keep saying, but we are - we are very close - it's like a 90-per cent-plus there and just those final things being worked out, so I hope you're going to see something very soon on that." The official added that the deal was "really going to just unleash another level of US-India relations, something that hasn't really - we haven't been able to get there in decades when it comes to trade".
这位官员强调，贸易一直是美印关系中的最大障碍：“贸易问题一直是两国关系中的最大难题。不过现在我们已接近解决方案，我相信达成协议后，美印关系将会迎来一个非常激动人心的新阶段。”
The official said trade had long been the biggest sticking point in the relationship. "This has always been the most sticking point in the relationship. And so I think we're very close and it's going to be, I think, very, very exciting when we get there," the person said.
关于卢比奥即将对印度进行的访问，这位官员表示：“这体现了美国对印关系的持续重视与发展的决心。目前，两国之间的合作正在积极推进中。”谈到莫迪预计于12月访美的计划，官员称届时可能会有一些重要的宣布，并补充说：“美印关系的发展势头非常强劲。”
On Rubio's upcoming India visit, the official said, "This is all part of the continuous growth and attention to the US-India partnership. There's a lot happening." Referring to Modi's expected US visit in December, the official said there may be some big announcements on that front and added, "There's just a lot happening in the relationship."
此外，这位官员还指出，这将是今年两国外交部长第三次就“四方机制”（Quad）相关事宜举行会晤。“这是前所未有的；他们此前从未如此频繁地会面。”他强调：“这充分说明了我们对该机制的重视，以及印度、日本和澳大利亚对这一外交合作平台的重视程度。”他还表示，四方机制的外长会议将于5月在新德里举行，并补充说：“我相信下个月会有一些令人兴奋的新进展。”
The official also said this will be the third time the foreign ministers meet this year in connection with the Quad. "That's unprecedented. They've never met this many times, and I think that just tells you the attention that we're giving, the importance of this diplomatic grouping, the importance that India also places on it, as well as Japan and Australia. And stay tuned as well," the official said. The person added that the Quad foreign ministers' meeting would be hosted in New Delhi in May and said, "I think you'll see some other exciting things come out of that later next month." On IMEC, the official said it was "absolutely a huge priority" for both the United States and India. The person said the project had run into roadblocks because of developments in the Middle East, but could move ahead once the region stabilised. "I think on the India side and on the US side, we're ready to go. But because of some of the challenges we've had over the years, starting from the beginning of the administration - the president came in and we were still dealing with Israel/Gaza. That certainly paused things. And then obviously Iran and Operation Midnight Hammer, that paused things. And so every - it's really being held in the Middle East. So I think when things can stabilise, you're really going to see IMEC take off," the official said.
关于“IMEC”项目，这位官员表示该项目对美国和印度来说都“具有极高的优先级”。他指出，该项目曾因中东地区的局势动荡而遇到阻碍，但一旦该地区局势稳定下来，项目就能继续推进。“我认为印度和美国方面都已做好准备继续推进这一合作。不过，由于多年来面临的一些挑战（比如总统上任初期时以色列/加沙问题的处理，以及后来的伊朗问题、‘午夜锤行动’等），项目的进展受到了影响。因此，只有当中东局势稳定下来后，‘IMEC’项目才能真正取得突破性进展。”
The official also said this will be the third time the foreign ministers meet this year in connection with the Quad. "That's unprecedented. They've never met this many times, and I think that just tells you the attention that we're giving, the importance of this diplomatic grouping, the importance that India also places on it, as well as Japan and Australia. And stay tuned as well," the official said. The person added that the Quad foreign ministers' meeting would be hosted in New Delhi in May and said, "I think you'll see some other exciting things come out of that later next month." On IMEC, the official said it was "absolutely a huge priority" for both the United States and India. The person said the project had run into roadblocks because of developments in the Middle East, but could move ahead once the region stabilised. "I think on the India side and on the US side, we're ready to go. But because of some of the challenges we've had over the years, starting from the beginning of the administration - the president came in and we were still dealing with Israel/Gaza. That certainly paused things. And then obviously Iran and Operation Midnight Hammer, that paused things. And so every - it's really being held in the Middle East. So I think when things can stabilise, you're really going to see IMEC take off," the official said.
这位官员表示，美国对IMEC（印度-中东-欧洲经济走廊）感到兴奋，绘制部分路线的工作已经在进行中，特别是航运和卡车运输环节。该人士补充称，该地区国家，包括沙特阿拉伯、约旦、阿联酋和以色列，仍需敲定各自的部分。总体而言，这位官员的言论指向一种在贸易、外交和互联互通方面快速推进的关系，预计将有更多公告发布。PTI供稿
The official said the US was excited about IMEC and that work was already under way to map some of the routes, especially shipping and trucking links. The person added that countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE and Israel, would still have to work out their parts. Overall, the official's comments pointed to a relationship that is moving quickly on trade, diplomacy and connectivity, with more announcements expected. With PTI Inputs