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India-US Summit

India and the US forge a new friendship

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will meet US President Joe Biden on June 21 in Washington DC. : Original images: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia, Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia. Illustration by Michael Joiner, 360info. CC BY 4.0 Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will meet US President Joe Biden on June 21 in Washington DC. : Original images: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia, Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia. Illustration by Michael Joiner, 360info. CC BY 4.0

India PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US this week is being viewed with special significance in both Delhi and in Washington.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US from June 21-24 shows that given the challenge of China in the Indo-Pacific, the US views India as a valuable geo-strategic partner.

The visit could deepen India-US collaboration in the Indo-Pacific by outlining the emerging contours of a sturdier structure of cooperation.

 

While the US may still be unhappy with India’s relations with Russia, the visit will also show whether pragmatism continues to prevail over India’s refusal to condemn the war in Ukraine and side-stepping sanctions by continuing to import Russian oil.

The Biden administration, however, seems to have bipartisan support for balancing the criticism of India’s record on human rights and the treatment of minorities with the  shared geo-strategic interests. This is reflected in inviting the Indian prime minister to address a joint session of the US Congress.

However, it remains to be seen whether during this high profile visit, the US would manage to nudge India towards a clearer position on the Ukraine War and on taking on China.

In this Special Report

An Indian Navy destroyer during Tropex 2023. Delhi remains considerably behind Beijing in the naval race. : Government of India Government Open Data License – India (GODL).

If India wants to counter China in the region, it will need American help. The question is how long it will delay this.

Why Delhi and Washington need each other
US President Joe Biden worked with China at COP26, but a lot has changed since then. : The White House, Wikimedia Commons Public domain

India feels it has a strong case to be the natural leader of the Indo-Pacific. Whether the Americans agree may shape the future of their partnership.

US has a golden chance to bet big on India’s China policy
US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have become closer through the Quad. : 内閣官房内閣広報室, Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0

India and the US have developed closer ties through the resurrected Quad alliance, but Modi’s White House visit could bring the countries even nearer.

Closer ties will meet Quad goals
Modi during an All Party Meeting to discuss India-China border issues in 2020. China has been increasingly assertive on the two nations’ shared border. : Prime Minister’s Office Government Open Data License – India (GODL).

Modi’s visit to Washington could answer some of the big questions around the India-US relationship.

How will Modi play his hand with Biden?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) has not economically isolated Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) over the invasion of Ukraine, despite pressure from the West. : Presidential Press and Information Office, Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0

The West expected India to turn its back on Russia, but a look at the numbers shows that expectation never seemed realistic or likely.

Cheap Russian oil fuels India’s response to Ukraine war
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is invited to the ‘Summit for Democracy’. (Office of the President of the United States, Wikimedia Commons) : Reece Hooker, 360info

Narendra Modi’s trip to the White House may be the most important visit from an Indian leader since 2008 as Delhi weighs a deeper relationship with Washington.

Tech, money and votes on the line during talks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will meet US President Joe Biden on June 21 in Washington DC. : Michael Joiner, 360info CC BY 4.0

C. Raja Mohan from the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore breaks down India’s position between the West, Russia and China.

‘Russia at peace with the West suits India. It does not suit China’
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Editor
Bharat Bhushan
South Asia Editor, 360info