Trump-Modi meet highlights: US backs India on Pak terror, silent on H-1B

US also backed Indian stance on OBOR; Trump called for balance in Indo-US trade

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on Monday for talks in which both leaders took great pains to stress the importance of a strong US-Indian relationship.

The talks covered a broad range of topics: Matters of international law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region; bringing stability to Afghanistan; coordinating against terrorist organisations, with a specific focus on cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan; growing strategic convergences between the two nations; increasing free and fair trade; and defence cooperation between India and the US. 

PM Modi had arrived in Washington on Sunday for a two-day visit where he had his first meeting with Trump and met a group of CEOs from the top 20 companies in America. The Prime Minister also addressed the Indian-American community at an event held in the Washington DC suburb of Virginia. 

Here are the key highlights of the Modi-Trump meeting: 

1) Are the ties on the same track as before?

Both leaders explicitly highlighted the importance of India-US ties, with Trump calling his administration a "true friend" of India. (Read more)

Ahead of the meeting, sections of the media and experts had spoken about concerns in New Delhi over a possible drop in India's importance in Washington under the Trump administration. The two leaders, however, publicly reaffirmed the crucial nature of the relationship. 

"During my campaign, I pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House.  And that is now exactly what you have -- a true friend.  The friendship between the United States and India is built on shared values, including our shared commitment to democracy," Trump said in the joint press statement issued following delegation-level talks. 

Echoing sentiments he has expressed during his past visits, PM Modi said, "In this journey of India-America relations, I think I would like to thank you for providing great leadership. Be assured that in this joint journey of our two nations towards development, growth, and prosperity, I will remain a driven, determined, and decisive partner.

2) Did they talk about Pakistan-based terrorist groups?

Yes, they did. India and the US reiterated their commitment to cooperate in the fight against international terrorism. 

"Fighting against terrorism and destroying the hideouts of the terrorists will be an important part of our mutual cooperation," Modi said while jointly addressing the media with Trump. His comments came hours after the US on Monday declared Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin a global terrorist. 

For his part, Trump said that both India and the US have been struck by the evils of terrorism, "and we are both determined to destroy terrorist organisations and the radical ideology that drives them."

A strong anti-terrorism focus has been a plank for both leaders, with Trump having gone as far as bringing in a travel ban against six Muslim-majority nations in an effort ostensibly aimed at preventing the entry of terrorists in the US. 

The joint statement issued by both nations after the meeting went on to explicitly name Pakistan and called on Islamabad to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Pathankot attack, and other cross-border attacks to justice. They also committed to strengthening cooperation against terrorist threats from radical groups, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, D-Company, and their affiliates.

3) What about trade, H-1B visas?

Trump urged Modi to do more to relax trade barriers against US companies. Trump, according to agency reports, made it clear that he sees a need for more balance in the US-India trade relationship in keeping with his campaign promise to expand American exports and create more jobs at home. Last year, the US trade deficit with India neared $31 billion.

Trump said he would like a trading relationship that is "fair and reciprocal."

PM Modi, for his part, described India and the US as "leading engines of growth" in the global economy, a sentiment he had expressed in a piece for the Wall Street Journal as well prior to the meeting.

PM Modi also referenced Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan to stress that his agenda for his country was little different than Trump's. "I am sure that the convergence of my vision for 'New India' and President Trump's vision for making America great again will add new dimensions to our cooperation," he said.

To this end, the joint statement said: "...The United States and India plan to undertake a comprehensive review of trade relations with the goal of expediting regulatory processes; ensuring that technology and innovation are appropriately fostered, valued, and protected; and increasing market access in areas such as agriculture, information technology, and manufactured goods and services."

According to agency reports, however, the H-1B visa issue did not come up during the talks. 

4) Did India and the US find common ground on China?

Unlike Pakistan, China was not mentioned directly, either in the joint presser after the talks or in the joint statement's draft. 

Instead, in their joint statement, India and the US called for freedom of navigation, overflight, and commerce in the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also called for the peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes in the region in accordance with international law. The South China Sea was not mentioned by name. 

In a veiled reference to China's mammoth Belt and Road Initiative, the statement said the two nations "support bolstering regional economic connectivity through the transparent development of infrastructure and the use of responsible debt financing practices, while ensuring respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the rule of law, and the environment; and call on other nations in the region to adhere to these principles."

As reported earlier, India has criticised China's global initiative, warning of an "unsustainable debt burden" for countries involved. India has also said that it can not accept a project that compromises its sovereignty since one of the key Belt and Road projects, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 

In fact, the Indian statement on the project, issued in May this year as China held the Belt and Road Forum meeting, said: "We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality," he said in a statement." 

The Joint statement and the previous Indian statement on the new Silk Road project appear to echo each other. 

5) Did we close any big defence deals?

Both countries also said they would work together on advanced defense equipment and technology "at a level commensurate with that of the closest allies and partners of the United States". 

Ahead of the meeting, the US also cleared the sale of 22 Guardian surveillance drones meant for the Indian Navy in a deal which could be worth $2-3 billion. 

Resolving to expand their maritime security cooperation, the two leaders announced their intention to build on the implementation of their "White Shipping” data sharing arrangement, which enhances collaboration on maritime domain awareness. 

Noting the importance of the upcoming MALABAR naval exercise, the two leaders determined also to expand their engagements on shared maritime objectives and to explore new exercises. 

As global nonproliferation partners, the United States expressed strong support for India’s early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group. President Trump also reaffirmed his country's support for India’s permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council.