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President Joe Biden will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House next month, courting an Indo-Pacific leader with whom he has sought stronger ties as the United States looks to blunt China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Modi’s visit June 22 “will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday in announcing the Indian leader’s official state visit.
Biden and Modi will focus on their countries’ commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region, as well as on their technology partnerships, including in defense, clean energy and space, she said. They will also discuss common challenges, including climate change, health security and developing the workforce.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the visit will “underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the United States”
“This historic visit offers a valuable opportunity for India and the US to further deepen a comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership,” the Indian government said.
U.S.-India relations under Biden have been warm, but also marked by complexity as Biden has sought stronger ties with the world’s largest democracy while at the same time looking to counter China’s growing economic and military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
In 2021, India joined the Quad, an international partnership with the U.S., Australia and Japan. But unlike those countries and nearly every other major U.S. ally, India has not imposed sanctions on Russia and has offered only limited criticism of its invasion of Ukraine.
