Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on a two-day visit to hold high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump in the face of concerns in New Delhi over Washington’s new “America First” trade agenda as well as its policy on immigration.
The prime minister will be hosted by the US President on Thursday in what would be the first bilateral talks between the two leaders after Trump assumed the presidency for a second term last month.
Modi will be staying at the Blair House, the US presidential guest house at the heart of the American capital city.
PM Modi’s visit marks the second leg of his two-nation tour, which began with a France trip on Monday, February 10. As one of the first world leaders to meet with President Donald Trump following his inauguration on January 20, the visit is expected to focus on a wide range of bilateral issues, with experts anticipating that sensitive topics could also be raised during the discussions, according to a news agency PTI report.
While the official agenda for the talks remains undisclosed, the visit comes at a pivotal time, following Donald Trump’s recent threats of tariffs on countries he deems to be ‘harming’ the US economy. Donald Trump notably singled out China, India, and Brazil as key targets, adding some tension to the atmosphere ahead of PM Modi’s visit.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday said she believes that tariffs would come before Thursday’s visit by PM Modi.
The timing of PM Modi’s is also significant given the recent deportation of 104 illegal Indian immigrants from the US, a move that sparked concern and anger in India.
The prime minister’s visit is seen as an important opportunity to engage with the new US administration on a variety of shared interests, senior officials said cited in the report said. These include trade, investment, defence cooperation, counterterrorism, Indo-Pacific security, and technological collaboration.
Additionally, PM Modi will interact with US business leaders and members of the Indian diaspora, which boasts a significant presence of 5.4 million people, along with over 3,50,000 students from India studying in the US.
After the visit, officials expect a joint statement outlining the key outcomes of the discussions.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a briefing on February 7 in New Delhi, emphasized that the visit highlights the importance of the US-India partnership, which enjoys bipartisan support in the US. PM Modi’s trip also serves to reaffirm the commitment made by both leaders shortly after Trump’s inauguration to meet and strengthen bilateral ties.
