The signing of the memorandum of understanding with General Electric will be one of the biggest deliverables of Prime Minister Modis’ state visit to the United States, the dispatches said. As bilateral trade reached a record $191 billion last year

New Delhi (ABC Live): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to start his first state visit of the United States on June 21. 2023 and there is much hype about Modi’s visit to the US this time.

The ABC Research team covering Modi 2023 United States Visit refers an article published by ExBulletin a Free News Media Website on Modi 2023 United States visit titled “What is special about PM Modi’s visit to the US this time around?” with sole aim to make our readers understand the genesis behind this hyper propagated visit.

The ExBulletin says as under’

Why Modi 2023 United States Visit is Special?

Modis’ previous US visits fell under the category of working visits (2014), working lunches (2016) and official working visits (2017). While his 2019 visit was officially described by the United States as one in which Modi attended a rally in Houston, Texas but this 2023 visit is of great significance because none of his previous visits to the United States have been classified as a state visit.

Why is this visit different?

It would be Modis’ first state visit to the United States during his nine-year reign as prime minister. This means that US President Joe Biden will welcome Modi during his visit and he will be offered a room for four days and three nights at Blair House, the President’s official guest house, located a short walk from the White House. 

Why is the United States courting India?

On another level, the visit is significant for the United States as it tries to counter China’s growing influence and eventually wants to shift its investments to India, experts said. Political scientists say the Biden administration is “desperately courting India” because it needs a potential counterweight to China, in a bid to establish a “global supply chain and for investment reasons.”

This visit may also provide an opening for the United States to urge India to openly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We look forward to welcoming Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi in June, whose visit will celebrate the deep partnership between the United States and India,” Stae’s US Secretary Anthony Blinken tweeted recently, a few weeks before the Modi’s visit.

As John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, recently told reporters on June 6, two weeks before Modi’s visit, “India is a strong partner of the United States in very many levels”. He cited additional defense cooperation agreements, “a lot of economic trade”, and for India being a member of the Quad and a key Indo-Pacific security partner and friend.

“There are innumerable reasons why India is certainly important not only bilaterally between our two nations, but multilaterally on many multiple levels,” he underlined.

Analysts believe that the United States is looking for a location for its manufacture. The often-cited classic case is that of Apple, which launched manufacturing in India and is expected to export 20 million iPhone 14s. There are plenty of other companies also looking from this perspective, experts said. There is also a key agreement with General Electric in sight, which involves the construction of GE engines that will power HAL’s Tejas-Mk II light combat aircraft.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding with General Electric will be one of the biggest deliverables of Prime Minister Modis’ state visit to the United States, the dispatches said. As bilateral trade reached a record $191 billion last year, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) will host the two-day INDUS-X conference in Washington to coincide with Modis’ visit. INDUS-X is a platform for start-ups and companies from both countries to identify collaborations for high-tech innovations under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).

Why is this visit important for Modi?

“Diaspora diplomacy” has been one of Modi’s main political strategies since he was chief minister of Gujarat. This visit to the United States is crucial for Modis’ global image, to show India’s global demagoguery and to send the message home that Modi as a leader has accomplished this. This is important for Modi ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.