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PM MODI’S VISIT TO THE US CAN BE TERMED EXTREMELY FRUITFUL 

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US at the invitation of President Trump after co-chairing the AI ​​summit in France. Trump's attitude has greatly changed since he returned to power with his historic victory. Therefore, this visit by the prime minister can prove to be important for progress and stability in India-US relations.

The talks between Narendra Modi and Donald Trump can be seen as a step towards further strengthening the relations between the two countries. The talks covered several issues, including trade, security, and diplomacy. Apart from this, global issues such as terrorism, climate change, and trade imbalance were also discussed.

 

 

Trump is concerned about Reducing His Trade Deficit.

Trade deficit simply means that a country is importing more than it is exporting and this is what has happened with America. Therefore, America wants to cover its deficit. Trump and his advisors believe that trade deals should be negotiated clearly. He wants to promote “Buy American” policies to reduce the trade deficit so as to create more jobs for his countrymen as also strengthen the national security.

Bilateral merchandise trade with the United States has increased by about 8% to more than $106 billion in the ten months through January and a proposed trade pact between the two countries will further benefit both. During PM Modi's recent visit to the U.S., both countries agreed to work on the first segment of the deal by the fall of 2025, aiming for bilateral trade worth $500 billion by 2030.

 

 

Issue of Illegal Immigrants

As soon as Trump came into power, he first started targeting those countries from where a large number of illegal immigrants were coming. After Mexico and El Salvador, the largest number of illegal immigrants to the US came from India. The number of Indians in the US has now reached around 50 lakhs, out of which 7,25,000 are those who have either entered through illegal (donkey) routes or are living without valid documents. About 5,500 Indians were expelled between 2018 and 2023, out of which 2,300 were expelled in 2020 alone.

Infiltration through illegal routes is a serious crime. Therefore, India has offered full cooperation in taking back its illegal immigrants. In the last 16 years, more than 15,000 Indians have been sent back from the U.S. India has raised the issue of humiliation of its citizens before the US government and has opposed sending them in shackles and handcuffs in a military plane.

Talking about illegal immigrants, their number in America has reached more than one crore. On average, the police are arresting 2,000 people daily, most of whom are not being sent back due to a lack of sufficient resources. After assuming power, Trump has deployed military aircraft and additional officers for this task.

 

 

Significant Discussions on Defense Trade

India and the US held significant discussions on defense and security, including expanding defense trade and the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). This also included deepening intelligence sharing through agreements and cooperation on advanced technology transfer. There were also joint military exercises and strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation with special emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region; which reflects substantial progress in their strategic partnership.

 

 

Climate Change and Energy

Climate change was an important issue that was discussed seriously between the two leaders. Although the Trump administration had decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, Modi praised India's strong climate initiative. Emphasis was also laid on promoting cooperation in the field of clean energy between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi also said that the two countries will strengthen the oil and gas trade to ensure India’s energy security and cooperation will be increased in the nuclear energy sector, specifically in the direction of small modular reactors.

 

 

Cooperation on Terrorism:

Both India and the US expressed their commitment to take a tough stand against terrorism. Both leaders pledged to fight terrorism together. Joint action against terrorist organizations and their activities in Pakistan was discussed.

Both leaders agreed on the need for concrete action to end cross-border terrorism. President Trump assured to hand over the perpetrators of genocide in India in 2008 to India so that appropriate action would be taken in Indian courts.

 

 

Discussion on Global Issues

Furthermore, global issues such as China's growing influence, relations with Russia, and the global health crisis (COVID-19) were also discussed. Both countries shared their strategies on these issues and pledged to collectively find solutions. After this dialogue, both leaders showed commitment to more cooperation in the future. Modi and Trump planned to take the India-US partnership to new heights.

 

A Strong Bond between the Two Leaders

The world's two most powerful leaders have had a great meeting. Donald Trump said on seeing PM Modi that he missed him a lot. In this meeting, a strong bond was seen between PM Modi and Donald Trump. Trump pulled back his chair for PM Modi as a show of respect.

Donald Trump also gifted PM Modi a book. This book had pictures and memories of Trump's India tour. There were also pictures of the Howdy Modi program held in America. There were also some stories depicting the friendship between India and America. Donald Trump wrote in this book, Mr. Prime Minister you are great.

 

 

Responsibility of Bangladesh to PM Modi

What Donald Trump said in response to a question about Bangladesh during the joint press conference was surprising. Trump said that I leave the responsibility of Bangladesh to PM Modi. Trump said that PM Modi will decide on Bangladesh. Has Donald Trump given a free hand to India? Can India do whatever it wants in Bangladesh now? Only time can answer all these questions.

 

 

Media's Reaction

The Washington Post described Modi as the first foreign leader to seek a personal relationship with Trump and wrote, "The Indian leader coined the slogan Make India Great Again (MIGA), inspired by Make America Great Again (MAGA)." India exports $45 billion more to the US than it buys from there. Trump wants to reduce this gap.

Although the meeting of the two leaders is very important for the strategy of the Indo-Pacific region, disputes related to illegal immigration, visas, and America's huge trade deficit with India are major points of tension in the relations between the two countries.

Dr. Chietigi Bajpaee, Senior Research Fellow for South Asia, Asisa-Pacific Programme says the visit of PM Modi may help resolve immediate tensions but is likely to do little to resolve mismatched expectations. He understands India is not seen as an existential threat to the US, as China is.

Megha Bajaj from DFRAC ORG writes PM Modi’s International visits usually grab the eyeballs of everyone whether media, celebrity, or the Internet but this time we found that some false narrative was making their presence stronger on social media which cautiously needs to be evaluated. Social media users turned active and started disseminating hatred and antipathetic narratives against the PM and his international visits.

BBC writes Modi met Tesla CEO Elon Musk to discuss AI and emerging tech. India is also courting Tesla to set up a car factory, cutting EV import taxes for automakers committing $500m and local production within three years. Tesla has yet to confirm its plans.

Since independence, rarely has an Indian PM received so much respect and admiration on the global stage as PM Modi has received in recent times. It was such a proud moment when Trump himself pulled out the chair for Modi as a show of respect. This reflects India's image at the international level. Apart from this, relations between India and America have become even closer. The warm and cordial relations between the two leaders have brought concrete benefits to both countries.