PM Modi's US visit showcases strength, resilience of India-US partnership: Lisa Curtis

Washington: The official State visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US showcases the strength and resilience of the India-US partnership, according to an official from the previous Trump administration.

Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific Security Programme at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think-tank, said on Tuesday that the visit also underscores the importance that the Biden administration attaches to New Delhi’s role in challenging China’s rise in the region.

“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House this week will showcase the strength and resilience of the US-India partnership and the importance the Biden administration attaches to India’s role in challenging China’s rise in the region,” she said.

Curtis served as the Trump Administration’s point person for South Asia from 2017 to 2020.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill. The visit also includes an address by the prime minister to the joint session of the US Congress on June 22.

On the defence front, Washington will likely announce a deal to co-produce jet engines with India, a pathbreaking initiative that will build trust and confidence in the security partnership and mark a step change in India’s defence production capabilities, Curtis said.

 India is likely to finally sign a deal to buy MQ-9B Predator armed drones from US manufacturer General Atomics, she said.

The MQ-9Bs will sharpen India’s defences against China by allowing it to monitor Chinese troop movements along their disputed border and by improving its naval surveillance capabilities to track Chinese maritime activities in the Indian Ocean, Curtis said.

Modi and US President Joe Biden are also expected to advance the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), which was launched over a year ago to expand cooperation in AI, quantum computing, and advanced wireless communications and catalyse defence innovation and co-production.

Curtis said this high-tech collaboration will bolster both countries’ ability to compete effectively with China and contribute to deterrence in the region.  "In the context of rising competition with China, the Biden administration’s approach of setting aside differences with India over Russia makes sense ,” she said.

“While Washington must not condition its support for India on New Delhi reducing ties to Moscow, U.S. officials should note the connection between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what happens in the Indo-Pacific.

"India’s lack of condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine weakens the concept of territorial sovereignty globally, which has direct implications for India’s disputed borders with China,” Curtis said.

India has not criticised Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from the votes at the UN platforms in condemning the Russian aggression.

Curtis said President Biden is likely to privately address the issue of protection of religious minorities, but not trumpet the issue.

“He should appeal to India’s global leadership aspirations, noting the world looks to India to maintain its identity as a multireligious and pluralistic democracy, but at the same time do so with humility, acknowledging the United States is also an imperfect democracy,” she said.