India's Modi heads to Trump White House with relationship issues

First meeting will address 'common priorities' amid questions about US policies

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the White House on Monday for his first meeting with President Donald Trump, a principle that has long underpinned relations will be at stake: that supporting the growth of a strong India is in America’s national interest.

Mr. Trump will use the talks to “really expand his knowledge base about India and understand the importance of the Indian relationship,” a senior White House official said. The Trump administration, the official said, will “roll out the red carpet” for Mr. Modi, setting an upbeat tone for the meeting.

But differences over immigration, trade and climate—topics that animated Mr. Trump’s “America First” slogan—have the potential to strain relations that have been prone to rough patches. If Mr. Trump takes a more transactional stance than his predecessors, ties could hinge on India’s ability to create American jobs or contribute more to maritime security.

Since the final years of Bill Clinton’s presidency, U.S. leaders have chipped away at the history of distrust with India, which leaned toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War. President George W. Bush broke down barriers by championing a 2008 landmark nuclear agreement with New Delhi. President Barack Obama called the U.S.-India relationship “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century” and strategic and defense cooperation between the countries grew under him, fueled by a shared wariness of China.

Mr. Trump, in a post-inauguration phone call with Mr. Modi in January, called India a “true friend,” the White House said at the time. He sees India as a critical partner for stability in the Asia Pacific, a region being reshaped by China’s rise, and for economic growth, the White House official said.

Indian officials said the meeting would be an opportunity for the leaders to get to know each other. Both have promised economic programs rooted in increasing manufacturing in their countries, and have ridden waves of nationalistic sentiment to shake up politics at home.

“A lot depends on what sort of rapport they strike,” said Harsh Pant, head of strategic studies at New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation. “If they don’t [develop an understanding], irritants that were pushed aside in recent years could just as easily resurface and overwhelm the relationship.”

As a presidential candidate, Mr. Trump assailed the skilled-worker visa program used by hundreds of thousands of Indians employed in the U.S. In office, he has ordered a review, saying the so-called H-1B visas should only be granted to the “most-skilled and the highest-paid” applicants to avoid crowding out American workers.

Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in March said H-1B visas help the U.S. economy to be more competitive and that India had conveyed its views on the subject to the Trump administration.

The White House official said there was no plan to discuss the visas during Mr. Modi’s visit, but that issues relating to climate change may arise. Mr. Modi backs the Paris climate agreement Mr. Trump is withdrawing from. Earlier this month, Mr. Trump said India made its participation in the deal contingent on receiving billions of dollars from developed nations, something New Delhi refuted.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Wednesday that officials were working with Indian counterparts to address U.S. concerns about India’s intellectual property standards and barriers to foreign direct investment.

“We’re hoping that we end up with deliverables,” he told the Senate Finance Committee.

Monday’s talks will have a particular focus on regional security and defense collaboration, Indian officials said. These were engines of growth under Mr. Obama as New Delhi emerged as a leading buyer of U.S. arms, and China began altering the balance of power in Asia. Although India remains opposed to a formal security alliance with the U.S., Mr. Modi, who built a personal rapport with Mr. Obama, embraced Washington more than Indian leaders before him.

Trump administration officials said they support this burgeoning partnership. “The U.S. is interested in leaning forward in providing high technology, the kind of technology that the U.S. provides to its closest allies and partners,” the White House official said.