– Cabinet level visits –
Since he took office, Washington has made strenuous efforts to court the new Indian leader – sending several cabinet level delegations to New Delhi and pushing for an early visit to the United States by the new premier.
“This is a historic and pivotal moment in the history between our two great democratic nations,” said a senior US official.
As he arrived in the United States on Friday, Modi said in an article in the Wall Street Journal that “India and the US have a fundamental stake in each other’s success.”
“The complementary strengths of India and the US can be used for inclusive and broad-based global development to transform lives across the world.”
The White House took that as a sign that despite some nettlesome differences, notably over trade, Modi was committed to a relationship that US officials see as a fulcrum of Obama’s policy of rebalancing US foreign policy towards Asia.
“What we are hearing from our Indian counterparts and what gives us tremendous excitement and confidence in the direction that we’re moving is a desire to work across all areas of endeavour,” another official said, predicting common ground on bilateral issues and regional and global security.
US officials have welcomed Modi’s vows to slash red tape confining India’s economy and his overtures to business leaders who have long chafed at restrictions on foreign investment in the country.
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