Calling ties between their two countries “one of the defining relationships of the 21st century,” President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House for an official state visit.
“The challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together, and we are,” Biden said during a welcoming ceremony on the White House’s South Lawn.
Biden said the U.S. and India are “two proud nations whose love of freedom secured our independence” and noted that the constitutions in both countries begin with the words “We the people.”
Biden said the U.S. and India are working together to end poverty, expand access to health care, address climate change and tackle food and energy insecurity caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The president also said the nations have made emerging technologies “the pillar of our next-generation partnership.”
“We face an inflection point, one of those moments that only come around every several generations,” Biden said. “When so much is changing technologically, politically, socially and environmentally that the decisions we make today are going to determine our future for decades to come.”
Modi, the first Indian prime minister in 15 years to receive a state visit, said: “This grand welcome ceremony at the White House today is an honor and pride for 1.4 billion people of India. This is also an honor for more than 4 million people of Indian origin living in the U.S.”
Modi said the world order has taken a new shape in post-pandemic era.
“The friendship between India and the U.S. will be instrumental in enhancing the strength of the whole world,” he said. “The two countries are committed to work together for the global good and for global peace, stability and prosperity. Our strong strategic partnership is a clear proof of the power of democracy.”
Biden and Modi were meeting for closed-door talks on a range of issues and then will hold a joint conference. The Indian prime minister will address Congress on Thursday afternoon before being the guest of honor at a state dinner Thursday night.
The broad scope of the Biden administration’s plans for solidifying U.S. ties with India was unveiled hours before the White House hosted Modi.
The visit, White House officials said, “will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India, and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together.”
At the heart of the visit beats the shared security goals of the two nations, which officials called a “next-generation defense partnership.”
“As we think about the future of AI, quantum computing and building resilient supply chains for clean energy technologies, semiconductors and other critical and emerging technology, countering climate crisis, the future of our workforces, and global health, energy and food security, there is no partner more consequential now and into the future than India,” a senior administration official said on a press call previewing Modi’s visit.
Agreements between the countries include a proposal in which General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. will jointly produce F414 jet engines in India — engines used in the F/A 18 Hornet fighter jet, the forthcoming India’s Tejas Mark 2 fighter jet (planned for service in 2026), as well Swedish and South Korean fighter jets.
The U.S. Navy has also set up “master ship repair agreements” for servicing and ship repair at an expected total of four Indian shipyards. That agreement is intended to save time for U.S. military operations in “multiple theaters.”
Historically, India and the U.S. have experienced “some reluctance” over working together in maritime domains, White House officials said. “I think that period is over,” an official said, as the U.S. will join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, an India-led partnership intended to strengthen maritime boundaries, resource-sharing, ecology, risk reduction trade connectivity and scientific and technological cooperation.
In a third prong of the defense partnership announced Wednesday, the U.S. Defense Department and the Indian Defense Ministry launched the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem, a two-day “catalyst event” that seeks to make connections between top defense firms and start-ups in the two countries and develop public-private partnerships designed to benefit both countries.
The visit will also celebrate the partnerships the two countries have made regarding technology, including the announcement that India will sign the Artemis Accords, a nonbinding agreement with the goal of returning humankind to the moon and, eventually, onward to Mars; investments in new semiconductor supply chains, assembly and test facilities in India; and new collaborative agreements on quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
“There are many factors — technology, culture, a sense of common purpose internationally — that have helped propel this relationship forward,” a senior White House official said. “And I also believe it is the commitment of generations of leaders on both sides, who have sought to battle the bureaucratic challenges in both countries, the legacies of distress, and I believe that, on display tomorrow, will be a new kind of U.S.-Indian relationship that is, frankly, very much poised for the future.”
The Bidens welcomed Modi to the White House on Wednesday for a private dinner ahead of the Indian leader’s official visit. First lady Jill Biden kicked off Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit on Wednesday, taking the Indian leader to Virginia before unveiling the décor and menu for Thursday’s formal state dinner.
Biden first took Modi to the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia, where the pair met with students and highlighted workforce training programs.
“Our universities are partnering together, leading research, creating apprenticeships and internships that span the ocean,” Dr. Biden said at the event. “And as we’ve seen here, students from both countries are learning and growing alongside of each other, discovering the people they want to become and building a better world together.”
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The broad scope of Washington’s plans for solidifying its ties with India has been unveiled hours before the White House hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit.
The visit, White House officials said, “will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and india, and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together.”
At the heart of the visit beats the shared security goals of the two nations, which officials called a “next-generation defense partnership.”
“As we think about the future of AI, quantum computing and building resilient supply chains for clean energy technologies, semiconductors and other critical and emerging technology, countering climate crisis, the future of our workforces, and global health, energy and food security, there is no partner more consequential now and into the future than India,” a senior administration official said on a call previewing Modi’s visit.
Agreements between the countries include a proposal in which General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. will jointly produce F414 jet engines in India — engines that are used in the F/A 18 Hornet fighter jet, the forthcoming India’s Tejas Mark 2 fighter jet (planned for service in 2026), as well Swedish and South Korean fighter jets.
The U.S. Navy has also set up “master ship repair agreements” for servicing and ship repair at an expected total of four Indian shipyards. That agreement is intended to save time for U.S. military operations in “multiple theaters.”
Historically, India and the U.S. have experienced “some reluctance” over working together in maritime domains, White House officials said. “I think that period is over,” an official said, as the U.S. will join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, an India-led partnership intended to strengthen maritime boundaries, resource-sharing, ecology, risk reduction trade connectivity and scientific and technological cooperation.
In a third prong of the defense partnership announced Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Indian Ministry of Defense launched the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem, a two-day “catalyst event” that seek to make connections between top defense firms and start-ups in both the U.S. and India, and develop public-private partnerships designed to benefit both countries.
The visit will also celebrate the partnerships the two countries have made regarding technology, including the announcement that India will sign the Artemis Accords, a non-binding agreement with the goal of returning humankind to the Moon and, eventually, onwards to Mars; investments in new semiconductor supply chains, assembly and test facilities in India; and new collaborative agreements on quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
“There are many factors — technology, culture, a sense of common purpose internationally — that have helped propel this relationship forward,” a senior White House official said. “And I also believe it is the commitment of generations of leaders on both sides, who have sought to battle the bureaucratic challenges in both countries, the legacies of distress, and I believe that, on display tomorrow, will be a new kind of U.S.-Indian relationship that is, frankly, very much poised for the future.”
President Joe Biden talks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrives at the White House for a private dinner, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, in Washington. Modi’s visit to Washington is expected to reduce India’s dependence on Moscow for arms, economic ties and technology as New Delhi and Washington try to strengthen the Quad partnership, which also includes Japan and Australia, to contain growing aggression from China. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The Bidens welcomed Modi to the White House on Wednesday for a private dinner ahead of the Indian leader’s official visit. First lady Jill Biden kicked off Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit on Wednesday, taking the Indian leader to Virginia before unveiling the décor and menu for Thursday’s formal state dinner.
Biden first took Modi to the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Va., where the pair met with students and highlighted workforce training programs.
“Our universities are partnering together, leading research, creating apprenticeships and internships that span the ocean,” Dr. Biden said at the event. “And as we’ve seen here, students from both countries are learning and growing alongside of each other, discovering the people they want to become and building a better world together.”
Modi is also set to address Congress during his visit to Washington.
