Modi will be visiting the US for the fifth time since he assumed office three years ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake one of his most challenging diplomatic assignments from June 25-26, to hold talks with US President Donald Trump on a range of issues pertaining to trade, investment, visa, climate change and defence cooperation. Although this will be the first meeting between the two leaders, Modi will be visiting the US for the fifth time since he assumed office three years ago.
A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs read that discussions between both leaders will provide a new direction for deeper bilateral engagement on issues of mutual interest and consolidation of multi-dimensional strategic partnership. Since Trump took over as President, the leaders have spoken over phone at least thrice.
Even though the US has consistently denied a visa to Modi, he focused on reviving Indo-US relations after becoming the PM to the extent that he met with former US president Barack Obama a record eight times. The latter also made a historic trip to India as chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in 2015.
Officials here believe that Modi's fifth visit, aimed at forging a relationship with Trump, will also witness substantive discussions on various contentious issues — especially related to trade and investment. During Modi's 2014 trip to Washington, both countries committed to increase the volume of trade to $500 billion from the current $100 billion. Since Trump, in his first major decision, walked away from a 12 nation mega-regional trade agreement (the Trans-Pacific Partnership), his focus on bilateral trade negotiations opens some room for India. The worry, however, lies in Trump's assertions that he will enter into trade negations only to promote American industry, protect American workers, and raise American wages. As per the US government, the trading partners with which the US had a 'significant' trade deficit in goods in 2016 included India. In 2016, the US had a goods trade deficit of $24.3 billion and a services trade deficit of $6.5 billion with India — taking the total trade deficit to $30.8 billion.
Though Modi's diplomatic acumen will be at test to convince Trump over trade issues, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in its report has submitted that India's contribution to the overall trade deficit of the US was a meagre 2.5 per cent. Further, the major products that the US exports to India have tariffs between 0-10 per cent, which is lower than the tariffs other countries place on US products. On another contentious issue of climate change, Modi will attempt to convince Trump to help India to reduce carbon emissions, by helping it in setting up clean energy to switch over to nuclear power to reduce dependence on coal-burning power plants, which currently supplies almost 60 per cent of its electricity.
The regional security situation, including Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and other international issues, are expected to figure prominently during the meeting between the two leaders. The US has emerged as a defence equipment supplier to India. The two sides will be looking to move forward with deals such as unarmed drones that India wants for its navy, sources said. While Modi has been focusing on the Make in India campaign to press foreign arms suppliers to set up factories in India and transfer technology instead of selling off-the-shelf, Trump, on the other hand, has railed against firms moving factories outside the US. He has been insisting that the US companies invest at home as part of his "America First" campaign.
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