Joe Biden will host India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, for an official state visit on 22 June, the White House has announced, as the US works to deepen ties with the world’s largest democracy.
The state visit, the highest level of diplomatic reception, will boost the US and India’s “shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific”, the White House said.
The invitation comes despite rising concerns about human rights and democratic backsliding under Modi’s Hindu nationalist leadership.
Modi’s government has been widely accused by political opponents and rights groups of seeking to target and silence critics.
Nonetheless, he is a leader much courted by the west: he will also be the guest of honor at the 14 July Bastille Day celebrations in Paris.
Asked about the issue of respect for freedoms and rights, the White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, said that Biden “never shies away” from having that conversation with leaders.
“We regularly engage with Indian government officials at senior levels on human rights concerns, including freedom of religion or belief,” she said.
Washington has long sought to boost India as a counterinfluence to an increasingly assertive China in Asia – and New Delhi, worried about Beijing’s buildup on the other side of its border, has also sought to build ties.
But Ukraine has emerged as a stumbling point in the partnership. India, a longtime military ally of Russia, has called for an end to hostilities, but has never condemned the Russian invasion.
It will be the first state visit by Modi to the US. He visited Biden at the White House in 2021 as part of the Quad summit bringing together the US, Australia, Japan and India.
This time India is understood to have sought the highest level of protocol for a head of state. The trip will include a state dinner.
New Delhi welcomed the visit as “historic”, and hailed the chance to build collaboration with Washington and to “discuss opportunities to expand and consolidate the Quad engagement”.
Under the Biden administration, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, was the first to be welcomed for a state visit, complete with military honors and a gala dinner.
More recently, the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was also hosted for such a visit, with the two allies issuing a stern warning to North Korea over nuclear weapons.
Modi’s visit will strengthen the two countries’ “shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy and space”, the White House added in its statement.
Education, the climate crisis, development and health security are also on the agenda.
