India-US relationship status set for update with Modi visit

PM Narendra Modi will visit the US on February 12-13 at the invitation of President Donald Trump. This will be the first meeting between the two leaders after Trump assumed office for his second term. Modi will be the fourth global leader to visit the US since Trump’s inauguration.

On the agenda
To build on the strong-India-US Global Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and set an ambitious agenda for a mutually beneficial and trusted relationship across all sectors. Focus likely on enhancing cooperation in trade, nuclear energy, defence, critical and emerging technologies, counter-terrorism and Indo-Pacific.

Also on the agenda are differences over trade or what Trump calls need for fair trade, illegal migration and visa delays. India will seek Trump’s cooperation in carrying forward recent landmark initiatives like iCET and IMEEC, both launched under the Biden administration. Even as Trump threatens to slap higher tariffs on India and others, the Modi govt will hope to restart discussions for a mini, if not comprehensive, trade deal that can restore India’s benefits under the GSP that were revoked in 2019, while allowing the US greater market access. Meeting with business leaders, talks with Elon Musk not ruled out.

Previous interactions

• Modi visited US in June 2017 and hosted Trump for a state visit in February 2020
• The two leaders have also spoken on the phone twice since November 2024 (November 6, 2024, and January 27, 2025)
• In early engagement with the new administration, foreign minister S Jaishankar represented the PM at Trump’s inauguration. During the visit, Jaishankar met secretary of state Marco Rubio and participated in the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Jan

Areas of engagement

1) Bilateral ties

• India and the US launched a ‘strategic partnership’ in 2005
• India-US ties were elevated to Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership during Trump’s visit to India in February 2020
• During the first Trump administration, the Indo-Pacific region gained significant attention as a key strategic area in US foreign policy
• In concert with Japan; Australia, the US and India reinvigorated the Quadrilateral Dialogue. Trump administration took the lead in promoting Quad from a senior-official level dialogue to a ministerial-level dialogue. Under the Biden administration, Quad was elevated to a leaders summit

2) Trade and investment

• The US is one of the largest trading partners of India with overall bilateral trade in goods and services of $190 billion in 2023. India has a trade surplus of over $36 billion
• During FY 2023-24, US was the third largest source of FDI into India with inflows of almost $5 billion

3) Energy partnership

• The US is India’s sixth largest energy trade partner and India’s hydrocarbon trade with the US was $13.6 billion in FY 2023-24

4) Education and cultural

• Cooperation India, US signed the first ever ‘Cultural Property Agreement’ in 2024 to prevent and curb the illicit trafficking of antiquities. US has returned 578 antiquities to India since 2016
• US is one of the most favoured destinations for Indian students for higher education

5) Defence cooperation

• India-US defence cooperation is based on ‘New Framework for India-US Defence Cooperation’ which was renewed for 10 years in 2015
• In 2016, the defence relationship was designated as a Major Defence Partnership
• The apex dialogue mechanism is the 2+2 ministerial dialogue. It provides guidance on political, military and strategic issues
• India is one of the largest military exercise partners for the US
• India has contracted for more than $20 billion US-origin defence articles since 2008, including C-130J, C-17 and Apache

6) S&T and space cooperation

• The Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement was renewed in September 2019 for 10 years
• Isro and Nasa are developing a microwave remote sensing satellite for earth observation : Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar
• In January 2024, Nasa and Isro signed a Joint Statement of Intent to mount a joint effort to the Interna tional Space Station
• Isro has nominated two Indian astronauts on the Axiom-4 mission to the In ternational Space Station, who are currently being trained in the US
• India and US have strong cooperation in critical and emerging technologies. Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) was launched by the NSAs in Washington in Jan 2023

Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes, messages and quotes !