Joe Biden is preparing to deploy all the pomp of the White House for the first state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even if it means muting the question of human rights and the attitude of India towards to Russia.
The American president will receive his guest for dinner with his wife, Jill Biden, on Wednesday, as a prelude to the official program on Thursday, with military honors, speech in front of the American Congress and gala dinner.
“This bilateral relationship, which we believe will be one of the most important for the future of the world, has enormous potential,” said US executive spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday.
This is well worth a formal acrobatics. Only heads of state, and not of government, are in theory entitled to a “state visit”: Joe Biden had organized one for the Frenchman Emmanuel Macron and for the president of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol .
For Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the most populous country in the world, the White House therefore speaks of an “official state visit”, an unpublished title.
John Kirby promised a “substantial” list of announcements, listing a series of areas of cooperation ranging from new technologies to energy transition.
The two leaders are also expected on defense, at a time when the United States is maneuvering to contain China’s strategic ambitions.
Fighter jets and drones
According to diplomats, Joe Biden and Narendra Modi should announce that the American General Electric will supply the engines of the first combat planes manufactured by India.
This responds to the concern of the Indian Prime Minister to develop national industry, and to Joe Biden’s desire to strengthen ties with a country which has long supplied arms from Russia.
Speculation is also rife on the announcement of a major sale of American armed drones.
“India still presents itself as a non-aligned country”, refusing to join NATO-type military alliances, recalls Richard Rossow, analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
But faced with China, New Delhi is ready to “engage in a much deeper level of defense cooperation” with the United States, believes the expert.
“It’s not about sending a message to China” with this state visit, said John Kirby, assuring that Washington intends to encourage India’s desire to play a greater strategic and diplomatic role.
New Delhi, for example, is calling for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council – a prospect that remains remote, however.
Narendra Modi “has promised to make India respected on the international scene” and “he should certainly highlight this visit to Washington in his campaign” before the elections scheduled for 2024, underlines Tanvi Madan, expert from the Brookings research center.