Biden, Modi salute ‘defining partnership’ as US bets massive in India

By AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Thursday that the 2 democracies’ partnership would outline the following century, as Washington eyes a counterweight to China and brushes off allegations of rising authoritarianism in New Delhi.

The two nations reached main offers on engines for fighter-jets, semiconductor funding and area cooperation as Biden rolled out the purple carpet to Modi for under the third state go to of his presidency.

With hundreds of Indian-Americans chanting his identify on the White House’s South Lawn, Modi, sporting a flowing white kurta with a sky-blue jacket, walked a purple carpet to a gun salute.

“I have long believed that the relationship between the US and India will be one of the most defining relationships of the 21st century,” Biden mentioned.

“The challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together,” he mentioned.

ALSO READ | Success tales of Indian-Americans outline limitless potentialities between US and India: Biden

Modi, India’s strongest prime minister in many years, later advised a information convention that the go to introduced a “new direction and new energy” to the “global strategic partnership” with the United States.

Directly addressing one concern of concern in Washington, Modi mentioned that he was “completely ready” to dealer peace in Ukraine, though he stopped in need of promising any break with Russia, India’s Cold War associate.

Biden solely obliquely referenced Ukraine and trod rigorously on human rights underneath Modi, a mounting concern for members of his Democratic Party.

Addressing the press meet with @POTUS @JoeBiden. https://t.co/qWx0tH82HH

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 22, 2023

Biden referred to as non secular pluralism a “core principle” for each India and the United States and mentioned democratic values “face challenges around the world and in each of our countries.”

“The whole world has a stake in our success,” Biden mentioned. “Maintaining our democracies makes us appealing partners.”

‘No area for discrimination’

Modi, who a decade earlier was the state chief of Gujarat and banned from coming into the United States over non secular violence, defended his report in a extremely uncommon press trade for the often scripted prime minister.

Criticizing those that would query India’s democratic character, Modi mentioned, “regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender, there’s absolutely no space for discrimination.”

Since taking workplace in 2014, India has handed a controversial legislation on citizenship, abrogated the particular standing of Muslim-majority Kashmir and has seen police and vigilante violence in opposition to minorities, with a US State Department report pointing to inflammatory rhetoric from members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

Modi has additionally confronted criticism for police raids on media retailers and the expulsion from parliament of the opposition chief.

Several Democratic lawmakers mentioned they’d boycott Modi’s deal with to a joint session of Congress. Among them was Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a outstanding progressive, who mentioned she needed to make a stand for “pluralism, tolerance and freedom of the press.”

Dozens of different Democrats in a letter urged Biden to boost considerations “in an honest and forthright way,” though they stopped in need of boycotting and backed nearer ties with India.

Former president Barack Obama, in an interview with CNN, mentioned that Biden ought to elevate considerations privately with Modi, warning that with out safety of minorities, “there is a strong possibility at some point that India starts pulling apart.”

ALSO READ | India, US take satisfaction of their range; democratic values: Modi

Major protection offers

Aside from his light nudging on rights, Biden supplied full honors to Modi together with a gala dinner, with First Lady Jill Biden tapping a celebrated Californian plant-based chef to prepare dinner for the strictly vegetarian prime minister.

In an settlement hailed by Modi as landmark, the United States signed off on a know-how switch for engines as India begins producing homegrown fighter jets.

General Electric can have the inexperienced gentle to provide its F414 engines collectively with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics.

A US official mentioned India would additionally purchase MQ-9B SeaGuardians, high-precision armed drones. India in 2019 broke precedent with an airstrike in Pakistani territory in opposition to an alleged extremist camp.

Washington hopes a tighter protection relationship will assist wean India off Russia, New Delhi’s main army provider in the course of the Cold War.

The Biden administration has largely given a cross to India for refusing to hitch Western sanctions on Russia and as an alternative shopping for its oil at a reduction, seeing a broader alignment with India on the problem of China and the specter of radical Islamism.

In one other settlement, US chip big Micron will make investments $800 million in a semiconductor meeting and testing plant in India, which is anticipated to succeed in $2.75 billion after contributions from New Delhi.

The United States is seeking to cease the move of high-end chips to China, fearing that the communist state will dominate the following technology of know-how, though Micron additionally just lately introduced a $600 million funding in China.

India, a rising energy in area, additionally agreed throughout Modi’s go to to hitch the Artemis Accords, a US-led multinational effort to place a human again on the Moon by 2025.

As a part of the cooperation, India’s area program will work with NASA on a joint mission to the International Space Station subsequent yr.

ALSO READ | The Biden-Modi relationship is constructed round mutual admiration of scrappy pasts and pragmatic wants

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Thursday that the 2 democracies’ partnership would outline the following century, as Washington eyes a counterweight to China and brushes off allegations of rising authoritarianism in New Delhi.

The two nations reached main offers on engines for fighter-jets, semiconductor funding and area cooperation as Biden rolled out the purple carpet to Modi for under the third state go to of his presidency.

With hundreds of Indian-Americans chanting his identify on the White House’s South Lawn, Modi, sporting a flowing white kurta with a sky-blue jacket, walked a purple carpet to a gun salute.googletag.cmd.push(operate() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

“I have long believed that the relationship between the US and India will be one of the most defining relationships of the 21st century,” Biden mentioned.

“The challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together,” he mentioned.

ALSO READ | Success tales of Indian-Americans outline limitless potentialities between US and India: Biden

Modi, India’s strongest prime minister in many years, later advised a information convention that the go to introduced a “new direction and new energy” to the “global strategic partnership” with the United States.

Directly addressing one concern of concern in Washington, Modi mentioned that he was “completely ready” to dealer peace in Ukraine, though he stopped in need of promising any break with Russia, India’s Cold War associate.

Biden solely obliquely referenced Ukraine and trod rigorously on human rights underneath Modi, a mounting concern for members of his Democratic Party.

Addressing the press meet with @POTUS @JoeBiden. https://t.co/qWx0tH82HH
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 22, 2023
Biden referred to as non secular pluralism a “core principle” for each India and the United States and mentioned democratic values “face challenges around the world and in each of our countries.”

“The whole world has a stake in our success,” Biden mentioned. “Maintaining our democracies makes us appealing partners.”

‘No area for discrimination’

Modi, who a decade earlier was the state chief of Gujarat and banned from coming into the United States over non secular violence, defended his report in a extremely uncommon press trade for the often scripted prime minister.

Criticizing those that would query India’s democratic character, Modi mentioned, “regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender, there’s absolutely no space for discrimination.”

Since taking workplace in 2014, India has handed a controversial legislation on citizenship, abrogated the particular standing of Muslim-majority Kashmir and has seen police and vigilante violence in opposition to minorities, with a US State Department report pointing to inflammatory rhetoric from members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

Modi has additionally confronted criticism for police raids on media retailers and the expulsion from parliament of the opposition chief.

Several Democratic lawmakers mentioned they’d boycott Modi’s deal with to a joint session of Congress. Among them was Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a outstanding progressive, who mentioned she needed to make a stand for “pluralism, tolerance and freedom of the press.”

Dozens of different Democrats in a letter urged Biden to boost considerations “in an honest and forthright way,” though they stopped in need of boycotting and backed nearer ties with India.

Former president Barack Obama, in an interview with CNN, mentioned that Biden ought to elevate considerations privately with Modi, warning that with out safety of minorities, “there is a strong possibility at some point that India starts pulling apart.”

ALSO READ | India, US take satisfaction of their range; democratic values: Modi

Major protection offers

Aside from his light nudging on rights, Biden supplied full honors to Modi together with a gala dinner, with First Lady Jill Biden tapping a celebrated Californian plant-based chef to prepare dinner for the strictly vegetarian prime minister.

In an settlement hailed by Modi as landmark, the United States signed off on a know-how switch for engines as India begins producing homegrown fighter jets.

General Electric can have the inexperienced gentle to provide its F414 engines collectively with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics.

A US official mentioned India would additionally purchase MQ-9B SeaGuardians, high-precision armed drones. India in 2019 broke precedent with an airstrike in Pakistani territory in opposition to an alleged extremist camp.

Washington hopes a tighter protection relationship will assist wean India off Russia, New Delhi’s main army provider in the course of the Cold War.

The Biden administration has largely given a cross to India for refusing to hitch Western sanctions on Russia and as an alternative shopping for its oil at a reduction, seeing a broader alignment with India on the problem of China and the specter of radical Islamism.

In one other settlement, US chip big Micron will make investments $800 million in a semiconductor meeting and testing plant in India, which is anticipated to succeed in $2.75 billion after contributions from New Delhi.

The United States is seeking to cease the move of high-end chips to China, fearing that the communist state will dominate the following technology of know-how, though Micron additionally just lately introduced a $600 million funding in China.

India, a rising energy in area, additionally agreed throughout Modi’s go to to hitch the Artemis Accords, a US-led multinational effort to place a human again on the Moon by 2025.

As a part of the cooperation, India’s area program will work with NASA on a joint mission to the International Space Station subsequent yr.

ALSO READ | The Biden-Modi relationship is constructed round mutual admiration of scrappy pasts and pragmatic wants