Preparations are in full swing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first state visit to the United States next week, which could turn into a transformative and defining event in Indo-US relations.
The Prime Minister will visit the US from June 21-24.
Modi’s visit takes place amid concerns over rising China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and the United States’ desire to move most of its business away from China and back home as well as to other friendly countries.
The US has identified China as the country that poses the greatest threat to its global hegemony.
According to reports, the US has pulled out all the stops to make Modi’s visit a memorable event as it will try to bring India closer to its strategic embrace.
A first for the PM
Modi has been to the US several times since becoming Prime Minister in 2014. But this will be his first state visit to the country.
It is the highest-ranked visit accorded by the US President to America’s closest allies and friends.
Modi will have a packed programme during his four-day visit, which includes an address to the Joint Session of the US Congress, an interaction with captains of American business and industry, as well as engaging with the Indo-American diaspora.
The invitation to address the Joint Session of the US Congress is a clear reflection of the bipartisan support for stronger ties with India as the lower house of parliament — the House of Representatives — has the Republican Party in the majority over President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party.
Two days ago, the prime minister expressed satisfaction at the growing and deepening Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between India and the US.
Modi also said he looked forward to a productive visit and an engaging conversation with President Biden on bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest.
Laying the groundwork
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and had a series of meetings with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and other senior Indian officials to finalise “deliverables” and the wording of the joint statement that will be issued at the end of Modi’s visit.
He also called on the Prime Minister to convey how keen President Biden was to meet and engage with him.
A few days before Sullivan, US Defense Secretary Llyod Austin was in Delhi to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries, including joint production of weapons in India.
There is a possibility that joint production of fighter jets in India by US companies will be announced during Modi’s visit.
Bilateral trade has reached $191 billion, making the US India's largest trade partner. American companies have invested at least $54 billion in India, while Indian companies have invested over $40 billion in IT, pharmaceuticals and more in the US, supporting 425,000 jobs, according to Indian officials.
During the visit, attempts will be made to look at how to increase trade and investment between the two sides.
The flurry of visits by senior members of the Biden Administration to Delhi in the past few months indicates that both countries have been working hard to lay the groundwork for Modi’s US visit and ensuring it is a resounding success.
A packed itinerary
After his arrival in New York on June 21, Modi will participate in World Yoga Day before flying to Washington.
But the Indian Prime Minister will not stay in Blair House, the official guest house where most dignitaries stay when they are a state guest. Instead, he will stay in a hotel across the White House.
On the evening of June 21, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host a private dinner for the Prime Minister. There will also be a state banquet the next day in his honour.
On the morning of June 22, Modi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome on the south lawns of the White House with a 21-gun salute and other attractive ceremonial features. The state banquet will be in the evening and attended by important presidential guests.
Modi will also attend a meeting of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and a lunch hosted by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken , where American vice President Kamala Haris will be in attendance.
The Prime Minister will attend a gala reception at the Ronald Reagan building to engage with the Indo-American diaspora before flying out from Washington.
During the Prime Minister's visit, there will also be a number of marches by the Indian diaspora in Wasington, New York and other cities of the US to highlight India's culture and Modi's achievements in the past nine years.
Modi is slated to address the Joint Session of the US Congress on June 23, and share his vision for India and the future of Indo-US relations.
Wideranging cooperation
But officials pointed out that the visit will not be all pomp and ceremony. There will also be a substantive part that will highlight the deep and wideranging cooperation between the two sides in defence and hi-tech, particularly new areas under the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), and people-to-people oriented areas.
A number of important areas are covered under the iCET, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced wireless communication, high-performance computing technology, and source code.
US officials have described Indo-US ties as a “defining relationship” between the world’s oldest and largest democracies.
Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu said the two countries "fully complement each other” and the Indian Prime Minister’s visit will be “unparalleled."
There is little doubt that Modi’s forthcoming state visit to the US will be one of the major events in the Indo-US diplomatic calendar. What the visit actually achieves will be known once the hype dies down.
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