Defense, critical tech on agenda as India’s Modi heads to US for historic visit

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to the United States this week for a visit heralded as a turning point for bilateral relations, with deeper cooperation in the defense industry and high-tech sharing in sharp focus.

The visit is expected to give India access to critical US technologies that Washington rarely shares with non-allies, strengthening a new bond that runs not just in global politics but also in business and economics.

Washington and New Delhi, whose relationship was marked by mutual suspicion during the Cold War, have been growing closer for more than two decades with successive US presidents showing bipartisan support for strengthening ties with the emerging Asian economy and regional power.

President Joe Biden has built on that legacy and expanded cooperation as the United States sees India as a vital country. couple in his efforts to roll back China’s growing influence around the world and strengthen security in the Indo-Pacific.

Washington also wants to distance India from its traditional defense partner, Russia. New Delhi continues to do business with Moscow and has increased its purchases of cheap Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine, much to the frustration of the West.

India, too, has moved past its “hesitations of history,” as Modi put it in a 2016 speech to the US Congress, and looked to the West amid its own military tensions and frayed ties with China.

Although Modi has made several previous visits to the United States, this will be the first with the full diplomatic status of an official state visit, only the third of a Biden presidency and the third by any Indian leader.

“It is a milestone in our relationship… It is a very important visit, a very important visit,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters on Monday.

A key achievement expected to be showcased is in the area of ​​defense cooperation, especially between the two countries’ military industries, Kwatra said, as India seeks produce more weapons and equipment at home for itself and also for export.

JET ENGINES, DRONES, SEMICONDUCTORS

The main announcements expected during Modi’s visit are the US approval of General Electric (GEN.N) for manufacturing engines in India for its domestically produced fighter jets, India’s purchase of 31 armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones made by General Atomics worth $3 billion, and the removal of the US. obstacles that prevent a more fluid trade in defense and high technology.

“People will remember this visit by PM Modi as a real springboard for the US-India relationship, when it comes to defense… issues in particular,” said Ely Ratner, Under Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs. . he said at an event on June 8.

A stronger India that can defend its own interests and contribute to regional security is good for the United States, he said, adding that there is an aspiration to see India as a security exporter in the region.

Cooperation in semiconductors, cyberspace, aerospace, strategic infrastructure and communication, commercial space projects, quantum computing and the use of artificial intelligence in industrial and defense fields will also be discussed, a senior Indian official said.

During the three-day visit that begins in New York on June 21, Modi will be hosted by President Biden for a state dinner and a private family dinner, will attend lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and will address a joint session of Congress for the second time in nine years.

Modi will also meet US CEOs and lead an International Day of Yoga event at the UN headquarters.

“This is not a routine visit, this is a pivotal turning point between India and the US,” C. Raja Mohan, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New Delhi.

“This is not a question of containing China or anti-China. This is about bringing about a new balance of power in Asia, which is a multi-polar Asia, where there is no single power that dominates it,” he said.

Reporting by Krishan Kaushik and Sarita Chaganti Singh in NEW DELHI, David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON; Edited by YP Rajesh

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