Washington
Controversial state visit: Biden receives Modi with pomp
India’s Prime Minister Narenda Modi addresses a joint session of the US Congress in the Capitol. photo
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/dpa
India is a major player internationally and in the Indo-Pacific. US President Biden is therefore trying to strengthen the ties to the country – and rolls out the red carpet for the prime minister. This is debatable.
President Joe Biden wooed the world’s most populous country with a pompous reception for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a state guest in the USA. At a meeting in Washington on Thursday, Biden and Modi agreed on several economic and military agreements and sworn the partnership between the two countries.
Biden’s government is aggressively trying to bind India more closely as a major player in the Indo-Pacific and on the international stage. However, numerous politicians from the US Congress expressed concern about the human rights situation in India. Modi dismissed this as unfounded.
Biden: “Two great friends, two great powers”
Biden said he was “convinced that the United States-India relationship will be one of the defining relationships of the 21st century.” It is about “two great nations, two great friends, two great powers” that could determine the course of the century. The US and India must “work together and take joint leadership” to meet the challenges of the century.
Shortly before Modi’s visit, the US government had already announced various new partnerships, such as the sale of armed MQ-9B drones from the US to New Delhi, US investments in semiconductor production in India and new cooperation in space and in the technology sector. Biden has now said that Indian companies have also announced investments of more than two billion dollars (1.82 billion euros) in the United States. “Our trade relations are flourishing,” he stressed. The partnership between the two countries has “limitless potential”.
Festive state banquet
Biden welcomed Modi to the White House with a formal ceremony. The Indian prime minister later gave a speech to both chambers of the US Congress, where he praised, among other things, the rise of his country. India is now the fifth largest economy in the world and accounts for one sixth of the world’s population. “When India grows, the whole world grows,” he said. A festive state banquet for Modi at the White House was scheduled for the evening (local time).
Unlike regular working visits, state visits are accompanied by special formal pomp, such as a state banquet. Modi is only the third foreign guest to receive this honor during Biden’s tenure. French President Emmanuel Macron made a state visit to the United States last December. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol followed at the end of April.
India has overtaken China as the most populous country. With around 1.4 billion inhabitants, it is also the largest democracy in the world and has growing political and economic influence, especially in the Indo-Pacific. Biden’s government is trying to counter China’s striving for power in the region and has therefore significantly promoted partnerships with other countries in the region, including the so-called quad alliance with India, Japan and Australia.
criticism in an open letter
The fact that Biden rolled out the red carpet for the Indian prime minister in this way also met with criticism. Modi of the Hindu nationalist BJP has been the country’s prime minister since 2014. During his tenure, India fell several places in rankings for democracy and freedom of the press. Critics complain that religious minorities are discriminated against in the predominantly Hindu country.
Prior to Modi’s visit, more than 70 US politicians from the House of Representatives and Senate expressed concern about the human rights situation in India and wrote an open letter asking Biden to address these issues at the meeting. They warned that there were worrying signs that political rights and freedom of expression were being curtailed in India, that religious intolerance towards minorities was increasing and freedom of the press was suffering. The White House said in advance that the President would not duck these difficult issues. Individual MPs also wanted to boycott Modi’s speech in Congress because of these concerns.
Modi: “Democracy is in our DNA”
Biden said in a joint press appearance with Modi that the two had intensively exchanged views on democratic values. “We are open with each other and we respect each other.” Modi, who does not usually answer reporters’ questions at home, rejected criticism of the human rights situation in India in Washington. “Democracy is in our DNA. Democracy is our spirit. Democracy runs in our veins,” he said, affirming that there is “absolutely no discrimination” in India, whether based on caste, creed or anything else.
Another not so easy issue between the two countries is the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. India has so far taken a neutral stance on this and does not support Western sanctions. The country has good relations with both Western countries and Russia, on which it depends for much of its military equipment. During the war, India also began buying more oil from Russia.
The US, on the other hand, is Ukraine’s closest ally in the conflict and is at the forefront of the international alliance against Russia. Modi reiterated that India’s focus is on resolving the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. “We stand ready to help restore peace in any way we can.”