Trump, Modi seek rapport despite friction
on trade, immigration
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[June 26, 2017]
By Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President
Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold their
first face-to-face meeting in Washington on Monday, seeking to boost
U.S.-Indian relations despite differences over trade, the Paris climate
accord and immigration.
Their White House session promises less pomp than Modi's previous visits
to Washington, which included former President Barack Obama taking him
to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in 2014.
But Trump administration officials have pointed to both leaders' impact
on social media - each has more than 30 million Twitter followers - as
proof that they are cut from the same cloth, and predicted the two would
get along well.
Trump built a Trump Tower property in Mumbai and spoke warmly of India
during his presidential campaign last year.
"The White House is very interested in making this a special visit,"
said one senior official. "We’re really seeking to roll out the red
carpet,"
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Modi will try to strengthen ties that have appeared to loosen. Indian
officials, noting both men's tendency to speak their mind, were anxious
to see how they get along.
They will have one-on-one talks followed by statements to the news media
without taking questions. They will then have a working dinner, the
first time Trump has played host to a foreign dignitary at a White House
dinner.
"If the chemistry is good, everything else gets sorted," said an Indian
official. "The only way is up. How much up we go depends on the leaders.
If they click, we go up higher."
While progress is expected in defense trade and cooperation, there are
frictions elsewhere.
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![](../images/062617pics/news_o21.jpg)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures during a session of the
St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia, June 2,
2017. REUTERS/Mikhail Metzel/TASS/Host Photo Agency/Pool/File Photo
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Trump, who campaigned on an "America First" platform, has been
troubled by the growing U.S. trade deficit with India. He has called
for reform of the H-1B visa system that has benefited Indian tech
firms.
He set the United States on a path to withdraw from the Paris
climate agreement and accused India of negotiating unscrupulously
for the accord in order to walk away with billions of dollars in
aid.
Meanwhile, Indian officials reject suggestions that Modi's "Make in
India" platform is protectionist and complain about the U.S.
regulatory process for generic pharmaceuticals and rules on fruit
exports to the United States.
They stress the importance of the huge Indian market to U.S. firms
and major growth in areas such as aviation, which offer significant
opportunities for U.S. manufacturers.
Rick Rossow, an India expert at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, said the frictions in U.S.-Indian relations
since Trump took office on Jan. 20 add gravity to the meeting.
"The meeting will provide more clarity on whether the past six
months have been Act 1 in a surprising friendship or Round 1 of a
protracted slugging match," he said.
(Editing by Caren Bohan and Bill Rigby)
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