Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described the India-US relationship as a "partnership of trust" as he and President Joe Biden vowed to work together for a more prosperous, free and secure world while committing to the bilateral defence and economic engagements.
"Had a productive meeting with @POTUS @JoeBiden. Today’s discussions were wide-ranging and covered multiple aspects of India-USA ties including trade, investment, defence as well as people-to-people linkages," Modi tweeted after the meeting.
Following the talks between the two leaders in Tokyo, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both sides launched an India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) to facilitate outcome-oriented cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 5G and 6G, biotech, space and semiconductors.
It said India and the US also extended the longstanding Vaccine Action Programme (VAP) until 2027 to continue joint biomedical research which had resulted in the development of vaccines and related technologies.
In the talks that took place on the sidelines of the Quad summit, Modi invited the US industries to partner with India to manufacture in the defence sector under the Make in India and self-reliant India programmes.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, the prime minister said the strategic relationship between India and the US is truly a "partnership of trust" and the friendship will continue to be a "force for good" for global peace and stability.
A White House readout said Biden condemned Russia's "unjustifiable war" against Ukraine and that the leaders discussed how to cooperate to manage disruptions caused by the war, especially the rise in energy and food prices to protect their respective citizens and the world.
It said the two leaders committed to deepening the "major defence partnership", encourage economic engagement that benefits both countries, and expanding the partnership on global health, pandemic preparedness, and critical and emerging technologies.
It said they looked forward to enhancing partnership to accelerate India's just energy transition, including through the US-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership, especially in the areas of renewables deployment, decarbonising the energy and industrial sectors, zero-emissions vehicles and mobilising related investment in India.
"President Biden condemned Russia's unjustifiable war against Ukraine. The leaders committed to continue providing humanitarian assistance, and discussed how to cooperate to manage disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine, in particular the rise in energy and food prices, to protect their respective citizens and the world," the White House said.
It said the two sides announced India's joining the Combined Military Forces-Bahrain as an associate member.
The White House readout said the US plans to join six of India's Technology Innovation Hubs to support at least 25 joint research projects in 2022 in areas such as artificial intelligence and data science to advance progress in applications such as agriculture, health and climate.
"Recognising the fundamental role maritime domain awareness plays in preserving economic security and in responding to humanitarian crises, the leaders noted with pleasure the establishment of the Indo-Pacific partnership for maritime domain awareness," it said.
In his televised remarks, Modi said the two countries have shared values and common interests in many areas, including security, and they have strengthened the bonds of trust.
"I am sure that the India-USA Investment Incentive Agreement between us will see concrete progress in the direction of investment. We are increasing our bilateral cooperation in the field of technology, and also strengthening mutual coordination on global issues," Modi said.
The prime minister said both the US and India share the same vision about the Indo-Pacific region and are working to safeguard the shared values and common interests not only at the bilateral level but also with other like-minded countries.
"Quad and IPEF (Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity) announced yesterday are active examples of this. Today our discussion will give more momentum to this positive momentum," he said.
"I am confident that the friendship of India and America will continue to be a force for good for global peace and stability, for the sustainability of the planet, and for the well-being of mankind," Modi said.
In line with Washington's long-term vision for the region, Biden on Monday launched the ambitious Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), which is an initiative aimed at deeper cooperation among like-minded countries in areas like clean energy, supply-chain resilience and digital trade.
On the iCET programme, the MEA said it will be co-led by the National Security Council Secretariat in India and the US National Security Council.
It said iCET would forge closer linkages between government, academia and industry of the two countries in areas such as AI, quantum computing, 5G/6G, biotech, space and semiconductors.
"Noting that defence and security cooperation is a crucial pillar of the India-US bilateral agenda, both sides discussed how they can further strengthen collaboration," the MEA said.
"In this context, the prime minister invited the US industry to partner with India to manufacture in India under the Make in India and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India programmes which can be of mutual benefit to both countries," it added.
The MEA said the leaders exchanged views on regional issues of mutual interest including South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, reaffirming their shared vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
"The Prime Minister welcomed the launch of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and stated that India is ready to work closely with all partner countries to shape a flexible, and inclusive IPEF taking into consideration the respective national circumstances," it said.
According to a senior official, during a closed session of the Quad summit, Biden praised Modi for handling the Covid pandemic successfully in a democratic manner.
He contrasted India's success with China's failure to handle the pandemic, though both countries are of comparable size, the official said.
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