Modi’s visit to US: India to lift retaliatory customs duties on 28 American products

LAHORE: India and the United States have consented to end six trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation, meaning thereby that New Delhi will be lifting retaliatory Customs duties on 28 American products, the India Times has revealed, adding that the move may enhance the trade volume between the two nations, besides helping Indian exporters to gain key tax advantages. 

The BBC News has also chipped in with facts pertaining to some defence, industrial and technology cooperation pacts inked between India and its largest trading partner — the United States.

The British public broadcaster maintained: “General Electric and India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will make in India advanced fighter jet engines for the country’s indigenous light combat aircraft. This means a greater transfer of US jet engine technology than ever before -- a clear sign that Washington not only wants to sell arms to India but is also comfortable with sharing military technology. India will proceed with a $3billion purchase of the battle-tested MQ-9B Predator drones from General Atomics, which will also set up a facility in India. The drones will be assembled in India, which fits into Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign. The US supplies only 11 percent% of India’s arms -- Russia is the biggest (45%) supplier -- but hopes to become the primary provider in the coming years.”

The BBC News held: “US memory chip giant Micron Technology will invest up to $825 million to build a semiconductor assembly and test facility in India, creating thousands of jobs. US semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research will train 6,000 Indian engineers to speed up India’s semiconductor education and workforce development. Also Applied Materials, the biggest maker of machines for producing semiconductors, will invest $400 million to establish an engineering centre in India.”

Bloomberg wrote: “India is in the spotlight. That shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s difficult to stay out of the limelight with a gross domestic product of roughly $3.2 trillion and the world’s biggest population with 1.4 billion people, but somehow the South Asian nation had managed it. Now, Prime Minister Modi’s first official state visit to the US, shaking hands with President Joe Biden and high-profile executives like Tesla’s Elon Musk, has caught the attention.” An Indian newspaper has viewed: “Prime Minister Modi and United States President Joe Biden hailed the deepening bilateral cooperation between the two countries on cutting-edge scientific infrastructure. This includes a $140 million in-kind contribution from the Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fermi National Laboratory toward collaborative development of the Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) Accelerator, for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility the first and largest international research facility on US soil.” The Vox News, an American news and opinion website, opined: “The US has partnered with India more and more in response to China’s rise, seeing New Delhi as a valuable counterweight. This is happening as India advances grievous human rights abuses against minorities, against journalists, and against political critics — all in contradiction of America’s stated values. And yet this week, the White House is promoting a next generation defence partnership with India. This includes the co-production of cutting-edge technologies like jet engines and semiconductors, the prospect of new arms sales, and agreements that would allow the US to have its navy ships repaired in India. The country will also purchase 31 advanced drones from General Atomics in a deal that will cost some $3 billion.” Meanwhile, the CNN gave some interesting details just prior to the state dinner hosted by Biden for Modi: “President Joe Biden and first lady Dr Jill Biden are set to fête India Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday evening at the White House, hosting a lavish, tented state dinner featuring a plant-based menu for their guest of honour, who is a vegetarian. For President Biden, a notoriously picky eater, the stuffed Portobello mushroom main course is a thoughtful diplomatic gesture for his guest. Biden’s willingness to eat his vegetables as he hosts Modi is a signal of the importance he places on cultivating the US-India relationship.” This Atlanta-based multinational news channel further stated that Modi generously showered praises on the American first lady. The CNN reported: “Your life, your hard work, and your achievements are all a source of inspiration for everyone,” Modi said, via a translator. In the evening, the Bidens hosted Modi for a private dinner, where they gifted the prime minister an antique book galley, a vintage American camera, and a signed, and first edition copy of “Collected Poems of Robert Frost.” According to some Indian media outlets, a special wine manufactured by Gujarat-born Raj Patel was also on the menu of dinner for Modi. Raj Patel, the Napa Valley winery owner, was asked by the White House to provide red wine for the occasion. According to India Today, the guests at the dinner included globally-renowned Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani, CEO of Messrs Adobe Shantanu Narayen, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and others.