Significant Meeting Between PM Modi And President Trump

President Trump wants India to buy more American defense materiel. But for that, he has to ensure that first, all sorts of critical technology are shared with India and after that there is no delay in delivery. India has another ask, technology sharing so that the US and India can jointly manufacture some of these defense materiel in India.

- JOSEEETA BASU

One of the signals of the importance being accorded by the US to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States to meet the newly elected President Donald Trump is the fact that he will be staying at the Blair House, which is also known as the President's Guest House. Located just across the White House, this 1824-built Blair House has hosted world leaders such as Charles de Gaulle, Queen Elizabeth II, Emperor of Japan, Boris Yeltsin and Tony Blair among others. So if symbolism is anything to go by, the Prime Minister of India is being given the respect the leader of the world's most populous democracy, and the most consequential partner of the US in the 21st century, deserves.

The conversation should start from this point and not from the bucket loads of tariff that Trump is supposed to be imposing on India, if the detractors of India-US relations are to be believed. President Trump may have spoken of 100% tariffs on BRICS countries if they go for a BRICS currency, or may have made off the cuff remarks on reciprocal tariffs, but the fact is that these are edges—particularly the reciprocal tariffs bit—that can be smoothened, with a bit of give and take and some intelligent handling.