(VOVWORLD) - US President Joe Biden and Narendra Modi hailed a new era in their countries’ relationship after the White House rolled out the red carpet for the Indian prime minister on Thursday, touting deals on defense and commerce.
 US President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during an official state dinner at the White House in Washington, US, June 22, 2023. (Photo: Reuters) |
The partnership is "stronger, closer and more dynamic than at any time in history," Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with Modi after the two leaders emerged from Oval Office talks. The economic relationship is “booming,” Biden said, with trade more than doubling over the past decade.
“The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo Pacific,” Modi told Congress, adding “The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership.”
After Biden and Modi spoke privately for more than two hours, a joint statement included a warning of rising tensions and destabilizing actions in the East and South China Sea and stressed the importance of international law and freedom of navigation.
“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 as he welcomed Modi to the White House.
The two countries announced agreements on semiconductors, critical minerals, technology, space cooperation and defense cooperation and sales.
Some are aimed at diversifying supply chains to reduce dependence on China. Others are aimed at cornering the market in advanced technologies that may feature on the battlefields of the future.
They also ended disputes at the World Trade Organization, and India removed some tariffs on US goods.
The United States is India's largest trading partner but the US has much larger trading relationships with China, the EU, and North American neighbors.
Biden and Modi signed off on a deal to allow General Electric to produce jet engines in India to power Indian military aircraft, through an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics.
US Navy ships in the region will be able to stop in Indian shipyards for repairs under a maritime agreement, and India will procure US-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones.