Instead of free trade agreement, India and US 'focusing on greater market access and ease of doing business'. Social security agreement on cards as PM Narendra Modi begins America visit.
When Modi's plane touched down in New York, TV reporters who had flown out for the state visit were thrilled. Arnab Goswami on Republic TV was screaming: 'The entire world is looking.'
When Narendra Modi and Joe Biden compliment each other as torchbearers of democracy and champions of global stability, they will be trading stock phrases bleached of meaning and substance.
Under protocol, state visits are only for foreign heads of state & not heads of government like PMs. To get around this, US has come up with another category: 'official state visit'.
Washington wants India to be a strategic counterweight to China while Modi is seeking to raise the influence that his country, now the world's most populous, has on the world stage.
The Prime Minister, on his historic state visit to the US, interacted with personalities such as investor Ray Dalio, Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Indians see West Asia as one uninterrupted wash of Islam, but the reality is more complex. For the Druze, support from Israel—where they are a recognised minority—is now critical.
Mini deal will likely see no cut in 10% baseline tariff on Indian exports announced by Trump on 2 April, it is learnt, but additional 26% tariffs are set to be reduced.
India-Russia JV is also racing to deliver 7,000 more AK-203 assault rifles by 15 Aug. These are currently being made with 50% indigenisation and this will surge to 100% by 31 December.
Public, loud, upfront, filled with impropriety and high praise sometimes laced with insults. This is what we call Trumplomacy. But the larger objective is the same: American supremacy.
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