A senior White House official said Friday that the United States is interested in providing India the kind of high technology it provides to its closest allies and defence partners. He had said that he looked forward to discussing strategic issues with a true friend.
In a development that will provide a boost to India's maritime security, the Trump administration has authorised the sale of unarmed surveillance drones to India, the manufacturer said on Friday, as the two nations' leaders prepare for their first face-to-face meeting.
In a joint address to the media after signing 11 bilateral agreements, Modi and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who traces his origin to Goa, said the two countries have made substantial progress since Costa visited India in January.
Trump invited the Indian prime minister to visit Washington during a phone call in January, shortly after the USA leader's inauguration.
A senior White House official told reporters that President Donald Trump's first working dinner with a foreign leader will be with the Indian Prime Minister. This will be the first dinner for a foreign dignitary at the White House under this administration. "They're both strong personalities, and both of them have a rather exalted opinion of themselves", said Rajiv Kumar, an economist and author of the book Modi And His Challenges.
The official in question again peeps into the auto for a conversation with Modi following which the prime minister finally emerges out of his official vehicle.
He said that India and Portugal will also strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism between the two countries.
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"Yet these high-level discussions have not resulted in the elimination of major trade and investment barriers or even deterred India from imposing new barriers". It is also expected to establish a network of honorary ambassadors based in India and Portugal to guide start-ups from both countries.
During the visit, Modi will meet with Trump on Monday.
Already, India has pulled back from building coal-fired power plants and is expected to meet its goal of having 40 per cent of its energy from renewables well before the target of 2030.
"I think we can expect to see some new initiatives on counter terrorism cooperation", the official said. "Bilateral trade and investment is small considering the size of the countries' economies and the scale of the potential relationship -India accounts for less than two per cent of total U.S. exports of goods and services and less than one percent of the stock of U.S. overseas investment", they said.
"These barriers are prevalent in multiple sectors and include high tariffs, inadequate protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), inconsistent and nontransparent licensing and regulatory practices, and various other restrictions", the lawmakers said.
A proposed overhaul of H-1B visas - used by thousands of Indian software engineers to work in the United States - has also caused concern in New Delhi.
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