Modi's visit to the US
- By Sajjad Malik
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 25, 2017
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the United States to discuss key business and security issues with Donald Trump. It is his first trip since Trump entered the White House after defeating democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
The high mark of the two-day trip starting from June 25 will be his meeting with Trump. Though it is their first meeting, both have spoken at least twice over the telephone. They are also somewhat natural allies, as both resorted to rightwing populistic politics to clinch power.
Modi's past is smeared with the events of the Gujarat riot in 2002 in which hundreds of Muslims were killed. The Western world including the U.S. shunned him for years until he emerged victorious in the 2014 elections by using the platform of Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected as prime minister.
Trump has been embroiled in controversies ever since he announced he would run in the primaries. His remarks against Muslims and other minorities earned him the ire of liberal Americans but won him the support of hardcore white voters. He has been struggling to gain legitimacy after taking the oath as president.
But while he was reviled by many at home, the rightwing Hindu groups in India adored him and held events to express support for him. Surely, Trump will have all this in the back of his head when he receives Modi.
The visit of Modi is expected to focus on addressing hurdles and misunderstandings related to economic and commercial ties. The two leaders will also focus their discussion on combating militancy and extremism.
Both countries have a shared vision to eliminate terrorism. They have institutional mechanisms and wide ranging cooperation in this field. So, it would be relatively easy for them to tackle this topic.
However, trade and visa issues are not easy to handle. Trump has accused India of unfair import duties on certain items and misuse of the H-1B visa. The Indian government has denied these allegations.
The visa program is crucial for the Indian IT industry because thousands of skilled Indian workers live and work in the United States. These workers are the backbone of some of the high-end IT companies operating in India.
As a matter of fact, India's IT miracle is heavily dependent on the outsourcing business of major American companies. It is estimated that over three-quarters of top 500 U.S. companies are using IT services provided by Indian companies.
U.S. companies enjoy the lion's share in the over 120 billion-dollar international outsourcing business. The crackdown on the misuse of H-1B visa holders may badly impact the Indian IT industry. Already, there are reports that some Indian companies are laying off their workers, fearing a fall in their output.
Trump maintains that the visa facility has been misused to the disadvantage of American workers. Can Modi convince him to continue the past policy? It is hard to say with certainty whether he can be successful as Trump has emphasized putting "America First" in all polices, which clashes directly with Modi's "Made in India" slogan.
There are reports that the U.S. leader is also not happy with India for signing the Paris climate deal. He has maintained that the largest democracy in the world hastily accepted the Paris agreement to reap financial gains.
The two sides have robust defense cooperation and Modi will try to convince his host about the sale of unarmed surveillance drones to equip the Indian Navy. It would be a huge boost to the naval capability of India to patrol the Indian Ocean. It would also be the first such sale by the U.S. to a non-NATO country.
If India can acquire American drones, although unarmed, this would have a negative fallout for regional security. On the one hand, India would use them against China, which is developing port and naval relations with countries of South Asia and on the other hand, the sale may result in a new arm races between India and Pakistan.
Initially India had sought armed drones like the one used by the U.S. against militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The provision of unarmed spy aircrafts might increase the appetite of the Indian army to renew efforts to get drones fitted with missiles.
Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm
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