C T Online Desk: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday opened a state visit to Washington as the United States steps up its wooing of India despite simmering disagreements on Ukraine and human rights.
President Joe Biden is putting on the full pomp for only the third state visitor of his administration, with the billion-plus country seen as a
pivotal partner in a growing global competition with China.
Modi — flying in from New York where he exerted Indian soft power with a public yoga demonstration — kicked off his visit with an intimate private
dinner with Biden at the White House.
On Thursday, India’s most powerful leader in decades will be welcomed with full military honors at the White House, address a joint session of Congress and be feted by a state dinner.
The White House tapped a top California-based plant-based chef for the dinner for Modi, a strict vegetarian. Unusually for a leader who often criticizes the press, the White House said Modi will take questions alongside Biden.
People following the trip expect a series of significant announcements, including likely a deal for General Electric to supply engines for India’s
first home-grown fighter jets.
The world’s two largest democracies are also likely to make announcements on climate, one area where the two countries have long clashed, albeit politely, on the responsibilities of developed versus developing countries.
The United States has been seeking a closer relationship with India since the late 1990s, seeing the nation as like-minded both on the challenges of China.
