NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Washing-ton DC in February, U.S. President Donald Trump has said.
In an announcement that came hours after. Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi spoke over the phone on Monday, the White House called for a “fair bilateral trading relationship”, and indicated that India would host the leaders of the Quadrilateral grouping in the coming months.
“The two leaders dis-cuned expanding and deepening cooperation. They also discussed a range of regional issues, including security in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. The President emphasised the importance of increasing its procurement of America-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship,” the White House statement said.
“The leaders discussed plans for Mr. Modi to visit the White House, underscoring the strength of the friendship and strategic ties between our nations. Both leaders emphasised their commitment to advance the U.S.-India strategic partnership and the Indo-Pacific Quad partnership, with India hosting Quad leaders for the first time later this year,” the press note said.
Mr. Modi on Monday said he had a telephone conversation with Mr. Trump and had agreed to work for “global peace” and “security.” “I congratulated [Mr. Trump] on his historic second term. We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership,” the Prime Minister said.
However, President Trump added a new dimension to the relationship soon after holding the telephone call with Mr. Modi by emphasizing “America first” in trade relations with major economies. “We are going to put tariffs on outside countries,” Mr. Trump told a gathering of House Republicans in Florida.
“Well… they mean us harm, but they basically want to make their country good. China is a tremendous tariff-maker, and India, Brazil, and so many other countries. But we are not going to let that happen any longer… because we are going to put America first,” Mr. Trump said.
The Trump administration held the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting on January 21 following the swearing-in ceremony in Washington, DC, attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The leadership summit of the Quad grouping is expected in the coming months, which will be held in India this time. The Trump administration has also focused on immigration, H1B visas, and tariffs, which are of great relevance to India’s interests in its relations with Washington, DC.