Modi visit to affirm deep and close India-US partnership: White House

It will reaffirm “warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together, the White House said Thursday.

The White House statement came hours before President Joe Biden, the First Lady Jill Biden, the Vice President Kamala Harris and the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were set to greet Modi for the Official Arrival Ceremony at the South Lawn at 10 am.

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“The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and shared resolve to elevate the technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space,” the White House stated.

“The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security,” it stated.

“The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the region,” a senior administration official told reporters.

“As the world’s oldest and largest democracies and key security providers in the Indo-Pacific, the US and India are increasingly partners of the first resort as a combined force for global good both in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere,” he said.

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“India will be a critical strategic partner for the US in the coming decades,” said the official noting, “India’s growing commitment to playing a more engaged international role, including in the Indo-Pacific and Quad demonstrates a new and growing willingness to join the US to protect and advance a shared vision of a free, open and rule-based rules-based global order.”

The Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia.

“As a strong maritime democracy, we work with India, Japan, Australia and other countries in advancing our mutual interest. As we think about the future of AI, quantum computing and building resilient supply chains for clean energy technologies, semiconductors and other critical and emerging technology, countering climate crisis, the future of our workforces, and global health, energy and food security, there is no partner more consequential now and into the future than India,” said the senior White House official.

The Biden administration is hosting India for an Official State Visit to put the cooperation on an inexorable trajectory, he said.

“After years of strengthening ties in a bipartisan context, the US-India partnership is deeper and more expansive than it ever has been. We now work cooperatively to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific to drive innovation, and to jointly tackle global challenges as the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.

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“Together and working with other like-minded partners, our countries will shape the future by working towards a world that is open, prosperous, secure, stable and resilient,” said the official.

After the arrival ceremony, Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Modi in the Oval Office. The two leaders will deliver remarks and take questions from the press.

In the evening, the Biden’s will greet Modi at the North Portico on arrival for the State Dinner. Bidens will then participate in a photo opportunity with Modi the Grand Staircase on the occasion of the State Dinner on the South Lawn.

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