India's foreign minister will host Marco Rubio in Mumbai on Oct 20

Mumbai, India

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold talks with the US secretary of state in Mumbai on Oct 20, and attend a celebration of the 250th anniversary of US independence there.

On the agenda

• Energy
• Trade and investment
• Defence
• Critical and emerging technologies

India's foreign ministry said the talks are expected to cover energy, trade, investment, defence and emerging technologies.

Opposition Congress leaders criticized the plan after the US ambassador announced it, with Rahul Gandhi saying Rubio had summoned Jaishankar. The ministry said hosting foreign visitors outside Delhi has been the practice for about a decade.

What's next

Both sides say a bilateral trade deal is close, with India's foreign minister saying talks are heading towards a landing point. Rubio will also visit facilities of energy company Reliance in Jamnagar.