Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United States is a landmark development in Indo US relations. This visit is a turning point for bilateral relations, and trendsetter for cooperation in the fields of defence and technology between the world’s oldest and largest democracies. The visit holds special significance as it strengthens friendly bilateral ties between the two sovereign nations.
Modi’s warm welcome in the United States where he was once banned from entering for nearly a decade — is likely to have a positive impact on the relationship between the two countries.
The writing on the wall is clear both geopolitically and economically – as the most populous country with 1.4 billion people and the fifth largest economy — India is an important player that cannot be ignored in the world affairs.
Some of the other reasons why Modi’s visit to US is being hailed as an historic development include:
- This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seventh visit to the US — others being in September 2014, September 2015, March-April 2016, June 2016, June 2017 and September 2019. He is only the third Indian leader after Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Manmohan Singh to have this privilege.
- It was Prime Minister Modi’s first state visit to USA during his nine-year tenure.
- This visit is also symbolic, as Joe Biden has only hosted two state visits during his presidency since he came to power in 2020, the first for French President Emmanuel Macron, and the second for South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol. A state visit is the highest form of diplomatic courtesy extended by one country to another. A formal invitation by the US president signifies that he considers the visiting head of nation an important friend and ally. However, President Biden could not have formally invited Modi for a state visit he is a head of government not a head of state. Hence the United States came up with the term — “official state visit”. In a way, President S. Radhakrishnan — was the only Indian head of state to visit US on a state visit. While Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rajiv Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh invariably travelled to the US on official working visits or official visits.
- PM Modi is the only Indian PM to address a joint session of the US Congress – the House of Representative and the Senate. Modi earlier addressed the US Congress in 2016.
- PM Modi is now among the elite club of international leader to address a joint session of Congress more than once. So far, only five world leaders have been extended the honour of addressing a joint session of US Congress more than once. These leaders include Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, South African President Nelson Mandela, Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
- The other Prime Ministers of India who have addressed a joint session of US Congress are:
o Rajiv Gandhi on January 13, 1985
o PV Narsimha Rao on May 18, 1994
o Atal Bihari Vajpayee on September 14, 2000
o Manmohan Singh on July 19, 2005
- The visit sets the agenda for a deeper Indo-US cooperation to advance their shared vision of a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific region.
- The visit provided an opportunity to discuss common areas of interest in a wide range of issues like trade, defence, and climate change
“After becoming the Prime Minister, I have come here many times, but today for the first time the doors of the White House have been opened for the Indian-American community in such large numbers,” Prime Minister Modi reportedly said.
According to an official statement issued by the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden used the opportunity to discuss every global and regional issue that is relevant to India and the US. Modi’s went ahead to include back-to-back meetings with the Indian diaspora and senior CEOs from the corporate world.
Significantly, though this is not the first time that Prime Minister Modi has visited America, this visit is particularly important because of the significance of state visits in the United States reserved for highly esteemed allies or friendly nations. This visit is also significant for Prime Minister Modi who is nearing the end of his second term as Prime Minister in May 2024, to showcase his popularity even beyond national boundaries. The Indian diaspora is second largest immigrant groups in the US after Mexicans and its members occupy influential positions in divergent fields. What they think can swing the tide in Modi’s favour and swing the mood for Modi’s third term in the PM office.
Deepening Indo-US partnership
The United States is India’s largest trade partner. Both countries are trading in goods and services such as science and technology, education, health, defense, and security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States will go a long way in strengthening India-US ties across multiple sectors.
Promoting bilateral cooperation
In his departure statement, PM Modi highlighted the significance of his discussions with President Biden and other senior US leaders. These deliberations will not only help solidify bilateral cooperation but also pave the way for collaborative efforts in forums such as G20, Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).
Defence Deals and Collaborations
Defence cooperation between India and the USA took centre stage during the visit. The focal point was technology transfers, joint exercises, and information sharing to strengthen and modernize India’s defence infrastructure. Several significant defence deals were signed to pave the path for long term military partnership between the two countries.
Several defence deals were signed during PM Modi’s visit to USA. These included the deal to purchase 31 MQ-9B drones worth over $3 billion for surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the Indian Ocean region. The MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones made by General Atomics can be equipped with weapons and sensors. Even though the three-billion-dollar agreement was announced in 2017, it has not materialized until now. These drones are expected to enhance the India’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities against China and Pakistan. The SkyGuardian is designed to fly over the horizon for up to 40+ hours in all types of weather to deliver real-time situational awareness anywhere in the world—day or night.
One of the most talked about deals was to allow the transfer of technology to co-produce F414 Jet engine for Tejas Mark-1 aircraft in India. This agreement between General Electric (GE) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would leverage India into the select group of nations possessing this technology. It will be the first time such a collaboration on military technology has taken place, sending a clear message to China.
Another significant landmark coinciding with the Indian PM’s visit was an announcement by US semiconductor technology and chipmaker Micron Technology to invest up to $825 million in a new chip assembly and test facility in Gujarat.
Space
India is also understood to have signed a deal with NASA to collaborate on a number of space projects, including the Artemis program, which aims to send humans to the Moon in 2024. India is expected to provide launch vehicles and other support services to make the program a success.
Technology and Research Collaboration
Both India and the USA also agreed to expedite collaboration in defence technology and research through joint research and development programs, defence innovation initiatives, and technology transfers to effectively meet common security challenges. Even prior to Modi’s visit to USA, the US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, traveled to New Delhi and held extensive dialogue with the Indian NSA Ajit Doval to lay the groundwork for closer defense partnerships.
Geopolitical Impact
Growing Indo-US relations are bound to have the following geopolitical implications:
- Indo-US defence collaboration will lead to intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, and technology transfers that will enhance India’s defence capabilities, and make it a formidable force in countering potential threats.
- India and USA are also expected to announce a ship repair agreements enabling US navy ships to be serviced and repaired in Indian shipyards. This would lead to cost and time savings for the US military.
- Strengthening ties between India and the USA is bound to counterbalance to China’s assertive behavior in the Indo-Pacific region
- Military agreements between the countries will help India reduce the reliance on Russia for military supplies, while securing its borders with China and Pakistan
- Growing Indo-US strategic partnership will promote stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Closer bonds of friendship between India and USA relations are bound to make an impact on two-way trade and investment and pose economic obstacles for China and reduce their dependence on Chinese markets.
- India, has been working hard to replace China as the world’s factory and position itself as an attractive manufacturing and export destination
- Indian students are the largest foreign student community in the United States. The US issued 125,000 student visas to Indian nationals last year — or about one in every five student visas and more than what was issued to any other nationality.
- The US government wants to welcome more Indian students and workers. To make this possible the Biden administration intends to make it easier for Indians workers in the United States to renew their H-1B visas visas without having to travel abroad
In the end, a politically, strategically and economically strong India backed by US and its allies will prove to be a threat to China. The evolving dynamics between these nations will continue to shape the geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific region in the years to come.
-The writer is a seasoned media professional with over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and web media. He is presently Editor of Taazakhabar News
–The writer is a seasoned media professional with over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and web media. He is presently Editor of Taazakhabar News. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
