Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US is expected to transform US-India relations

On June 20, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the United States for a three-day state visit. Modi has visited the United States several times, with his last official visit in September 2021, but this is his first state visit to the United States in the highest-profile manner.

As the leader of the world’s most populous country, Modi will address the US Congress, after which he will receive US President Joe Biden at the White House on 22, this is the third time Biden hosted a foreign dignitary with a state dinner, the first two are French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Seok-yoon. Modi will also meet with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Us National Security Adviser Sullivan said at a briefing in Tokyo that the US expects a “transformational moment” in US-India relations during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US. On June 20, US Defense Department officials also said in a briefing that the United States and India are getting closer in defense partnership, which was unimaginable 20 years ago, when the United States did not sell defense products to India at all, and now we are talking about joint production and joint development of major systems.

Defense trade between the United States and India has grown from near zero in 2008 to more than $20 billion by 2020. The United States and India already have dozens of government-to-government dialogues, have stepped up joint military exercises in recent years, and have reached a series of military security agreements.

“We now have working groups on everything from cyberspace and critical technologies to maritime security, and India is at the forefront of these forums with the US and like-minded partners,” the defence ministry official said. “Key technologies include artificial intelligence, advanced sensor development, unmanned systems, quantum physics and subsea domain awareness.”

According to a pre-visit speech released by the Indian Prime Minister’s office, Modi said India and the United States continue to deepen cooperation in the defense industry, space, quantum, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and other areas, and work together to promote a “free, open and inclusive vision of the Indo-Pacific region.” According to the text of the speech, Modi’s meeting with Biden during this trip will also help promote the operation of multilateral systems such as the G20, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

Despite the optimistic message about US-India relations, it is worth noting that India’s relationship with Russia still causes the US to be suspicious. The Indian government has not explicitly condemned Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, continues to buy cheap oil from Russia, and India has long been a big customer of Russian arms. But now India has expressed interest in buying “Sea Guardian” armed drones from the United States, and the United States also hopes to take advantage of Modi’s visit to the United States to advance the arms sale process.

Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said on the 20th that the United States would always continue to urge Allies and partners around the world to avoid deals with Russia, “We remain confident in India’s equipment diversification, and we have proposed industrial cooperation over the past decade that will further integrate the U.S. and Indian defense industries.”