The blossoming India-US ties received a fresh boost as President Joe Biden rolled out the White House red carpet for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking eloquently about ushering in a new chapter in the defining partnership of the 21st century.
A colourful and captivating White House South Lawn arrival ceremony was staged before approximately 7,000 people on a rainy morning.
The ceremony included marching troops and a 21-gun salute before the two leaders held wide-ranging Oval Office talks. The two leaders discussed transformational steps such as the pathbreaking jet engine deal and an all-encompassing partnership pivoted around technology and innovation. This was only the third state visit of Biden’s presidency so far.
Addressing a joint press conference, PM Modi said that the talks have added a new chapter in India-US strategic partnership and imparted a new direction and a new energy.
Even sky is not the limit for India-US strategic partnership, he said. You can add in second/third para
“I’ve long believed the relationship between the United States and India … will be one of the defining relationships of the 21st century,” Biden said during the welcome ceremony. Positioning values at the heart of the India-US partnership, Biden said: “As democracies, we can better tap into the full talent of all of our people, and attract investments as true and trusted partners. As leading nations, our greatest export is the power of our example,” Biden said from a podium on the South Lawn. “Equity under the law, freedom of expression, religious pluralism, and the diversity of our people. These core principles have endured and evolved even as they have faced challenges throughout each of our nation’s histories and fuel our strength, depth, and future
Emphasizing the increasing importance of the India-US partnership in a changing world, Mr. Biden underlined that the challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together.
“This grand welcome ceremony at the White House today is an honor and a source of pride for the 1.4 billion people of India,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi. “This is also an honor for more than 4 million people of Indian origin living in the U.S. For this honor, I express my heartfelt gratitude.”
According to official sources, the two sides have finalized groundbreaking deals in semiconductors, critical minerals, technology, space cooperation, and defense cooperation.
(Manish Chand is CEO of the Centre for Global Insights India, a think tank focused on global affairs, and the India Writes Network. He is Editor-in-Chief of India and the World, a journal on international affairs.)