Biden and Modi meet Apple, Google CEOs and other executives as Indian premier wraps state visit
WASHINGTON –
President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday opened the ultimate day of the Indian prime minister’s four-day U.S. go to by assembly high American and Indian executives because the leaders look to extend cooperation on synthetic intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing and area.
The leaders are placing a highlight on the “Innovation Handshake,” a brand new initiative aimed toward addressing regulatory hurdles that stand in the way in which of cooperation between the 2 nations and selling job development in rising applied sciences.
“Our countries are taking innovation and cooperation to new levels,” Biden instructed the group, which included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “We’re going to see more technological change…in the next 10 years than we’ve seen in the last 50 years.”
White House officers say India’s deep expertise pool will likely be essential in constructing extra resilient provide chains and growing expertise to handle local weather change. All this comes because the administration has sought to place the U.S.-India relationship on the next airplane within the face of an ascendant China within the Indo-Pacific.
Modi recommended Biden for seeing “the possibility that India represents.”
As a part of Modi’s state’s go to — the primary by an Indian chief since Manmohan Singh in 2009 — the 2 leaders introduced a number of main investments by U.S.-based firms in India.
Micron Technology has agreed to construct a US$2.75 billion semiconductor meeting and check facility in India, with Micron spending greater than US$800 million and India financing the remainder. U.S.-based Applied Materials will launch a brand new semiconductor heart for commercialization and innovation in India, and Lam Research, one other semiconductor manufacturing tools firm, will begin a coaching program for 60,000 Indian engineers.
On the area entrance, India signed on to the Artemis Accords, a blueprint for area exploration cooperation amongst nations taking part in NASA’s lunar exploration plans. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization additionally agreed to make a joint mission to the International Space Station subsequent yr.
Earlier this yr, the 2 nations launched the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, which units the trail for collaboration on semiconductor manufacturing, growing synthetic intelligence, and a loosening of export management guidelines. The initiative was important in sealing a deal, introduced Thursday, that can permit U.S.-based General Electric to companion with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics to provide jet engines in India.
Despite all of the deal-making and the free-flowing reward between the leaders, Modi’s go to was accompanied by controversy over India’s erosion of spiritual, press and political freedoms beneath his watch.
Human rights activists and a few U.S. lawmakers had objected to the administration’s determination to honour Modi with a state go to. In an handle to Congress and feedback to the press, the prime minister pushed again in opposition to the notion that India has turned a blind eye to the mistreatment of its minority communities.
India has “proved that democracies can deliver and when I say deliver, this is regardless of class, creed, religion, gender,” Modi declared.
But at Friday’s White House press briefing, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby didn’t immediately reply whether or not Biden was glad with Modi’s feedback on human rights.
“The president was satisfied that he had the opportunity to discuss concerns over human rights with Prime Minister Modi,” he stated.
Later at a State Department luncheon hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mom was Indian, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the U.S.-India relationship was celebrated additional, and with out reservation.
Blinken famous that Modi first got here to the U.S. 30 years in the past on a State Department alternate program and had been impressed by the “boldness” of America’s ambitions.
“We are working more closely on more issues than ever before,” Blinken stated. “The energy, ambition and potential of our cooperation is boundless. The United States and India have become, as the prime minister said, indispensable partners.”
Harris stated that her Indian grandfather, a retired authorities civil servant who took her on lengthy walks together with his pals when she visited, had her in a public service profession.
“Stories about the freedom fighters and the nation’s founding heroes and about the independence of India,” she recalled. “I remember them talking about the importance of fighting corruption and fighting for equality regardless of one’s belief or caste.” These classes “first inspired my interest in public service.”
Modi stated the U.S. and India have been on “a long and beautiful journey” with unprecedented cooperation in defence and strategic areas in addition to new belief in resolving longstanding commerce points.
