The Biden administration has referred to India as one of its most important allies and emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US next month is a chance to strengthen it further on a number of crucial issues, including ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific and enhancing trade and security cooperation.
Next month, Prime Minister Modi will make his first official trip to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US President and First Lady will receive Modi at the White House for a state banquet during his visit.
“Our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships, and we work closely with India on several vital priorities,” the State Department’s Deputy Press Secretary, Vedant Patel, told reporters at his daily news conference recently. “The state visit is an opportunity to deepen some of these partnerships, whether it be ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific or ensuring that it is a region that is more connected, more prosperous, more secure, and more resilient,” he added.
Patel makes reference to the Indo-Pacific at a time when China is behaving aggressively in the region and is embroiled in contentious territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
“Our partnership with India is one of our most consequential, and of course, deepening our trade relationship is a key priority and has been one as it relates to our partnership with India. Of course, another key component of this is our deep cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties, as we are both democracies,” Patel continued. “We are eager to welcome Indian students interested in studying here through the appropriate visa systems and otherwise,” he added.
