NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima with a warm hug. Later, the duo met again during the Quad Leaders’ Summit. No bilateral meeting, however, did take place. But the PM’s upcoming visit to the US in June is expected more than cover up missed opportunity for a bilateral meeting.
Taking the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister forward, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the just concluded G7 Leaders Summit. “I had a great discussion with Jaishankar on the sidelines of G7 in Hiroshima. We look forward to hosting Mr Modi in June. PM Modi’s visit will celebrate the deep partnership between the US and India,” said Blinken.
Jaishankar said it was good to meet Secretary Blinken and he was looking forward to meeting him again in June during the Prime Minister’s visit. The PM will reach the US on June 21, which also happens to be the International Yoga day.
In New York, he is likely to perform yoga along with participation from the UN and emphasise yoga as a "unifier" in the world. A day later on June 22, the Prime Minister will head to Washington DC for a state visit and attend a dinner hosted by President Biden.
The PM is also expected to go to Chicago where he will meet the Indian diaspora. “You have made a fundamental shift in climate issues, you have influence in Indo-Pacific, and you are making a difference,” US President Biden told PM Modi on the sidelines of meetings in Hiroshima. Modi and Biden, despite having differing views on the conflict in Ukraine, have continued their association with civility.
Meanwhile, trade between the two nations is a major unifier. The US has emerged as India’s biggest trading partner in 2022-23 on account of increasing economic ties between the two countries.
According to the provisional data of the Commerce Ministry, the bilateral trade between India and the US has increased by 7.65 per cent.