On the evening of September 8, local time, US President Joe Biden embarked on a journey to New Delhi, the capital of India, to prepare for the upcoming G20 summit in India, which is an important international economic cooperation forum that has attracted the attention of global leaders.
After arriving in India, President Biden held bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: the two sides had in-depth exchanges on a series of important topics, including economic cooperation, global governance, and regional and international security.
The atmosphere of the talks was friendly and constructive, which laid a good foundation for the development of bilateral relations.
After the talks, President Biden issued a joint statement that made it clear:
"The United States will fully support India as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council."
This "statement" supports India's accession to the Standing Order
This decision fully reflects the recognition of India's important position in international affairs, and also shows that the United States is willing to strengthen cooperation with India to jointly address global challenges.
As the world's largest developing country, India is playing an increasingly important role in the global political, economic and cultural fields, and becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council will further enhance India's international standing and help promote multilateralism and international cooperation.
U.S. support will provide a strong guarantee for India to achieve this goal.
In addition, President Biden also said that the United States will continue to strengthen cooperation with India in trade, infrastructure construction, energy and other fields to promote the sustainable development of bilateral economic and trade relations. This will contribute to the well-being of the two peoples, as well as the prosperity and stability of the global economy.
Modi and Biden
According to Reuters and The Associated Press, President Biden's first trip to India since becoming president of the United States has attracted widespread attention in India because it is the first time he has personally visited this important Asian country since Biden took office.
Upon arrival in India, Biden received a grand welcome ceremony held at the airport in the Indian capital, New Delhi, where thousands of Indians gathered to warmly welcome the arrival of their US president.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the welcoming ceremony, shaking hands with Biden in the crowd to express the warm welcome of the Indian people to Biden.
Biden then held a 52-minute bilateral meeting with Modi: this was Biden's first face-to-face meeting with an Indian prime minister since he became president, and the first time since Biden took office that he had held such a long meeting with a foreign leader.
The main topics of the talks included economic cooperation between the two countries, regional security and global issues.
U.S.-India bilateral talks
According to the Associated Press, President Biden met with the Indian delegation during bilateral talks.
It's worth noting, however, that White House reporters who went with him to the meeting were not allowed in.
This means that they cannot directly report and document the content and details of the talks.
Indian state media played an important role in obtaining visual information about the talks.
Through their reports, the outside world can learn about the progress of the talks, the positions of the two sides and possible agreements.
This arrangement may be due to the U.S. government's high requirements for the confidentiality of the content of the talks, or to avoid unauthorized information leakage to the media.
Although White House reporters were not physically involved in the talks, The Associated Press and other media outlets struggled to obtain relevant information from other sources.
They may interview officials in attendance, analyze official statements, or use other reliable sources to reconstruct the real story of the meeting. In this way, although it is not possible to witness the process of the talks directly, the public can still learn important information about the bilateral talks.
Learn about the talks
Campbell, coordinator of Indo-Pacific affairs of the US National Security Council, told the media at a press conference after the meeting:
"The relationship between the two countries has undergone a positive transformation."
"Over the past period, we have observed a warm mood that is replacing the past sense of mistrust and uncertainty about the relationship between the two countries," he said. ”
Campbell stressed that this change is not an accident, but the result of a joint effort on both sides.
"What I saw over time was the undeniable warmth and trust between the two leaders," he said. "This atmosphere of trust and warmth helps to enhance understanding between the two sides and creates favorable conditions for cooperation between the two countries in various fields."
In addition, Raubach, senior director of South Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, also affirmed this.
He added that Biden and Modi were "very comfortable discussing the broad range of things we are trying to accomplish together" during the talks. This shows that the two sides have consensus on many issues, which is conducive to promoting the development of bilateral relations.
Raubach also pointed out that this friendly atmosphere is of positive significance for the settlement of bilateral issues.
He believes that by strengthening communication and cooperation, the two countries can play a greater role in addressing regional and global challenges. This is of great significance for the maintenance of international peace and stability.
G20 Summit 2023
Following the most recent U.S.-India bilateral talks, the two countries jointly issued a joint statement that reaffirmed their partnership in a variety of areas, including trade, key and emerging technologies such as chips and quantum, supply chains, nuclear and renewable energy, and education.
In addition, Biden also congratulated Modi on the successful landing of India's "Chandrayaan-3" probe on the south pole of the moon recently.
In the area of trade: The United States and India pledged to continue to strengthen cooperation to promote the prosperity and development of bilateral trade. The two sides will work together to lower trade barriers, improve market access, and seek new trade opportunities for mutual benefit and win-win results.
In key and emerging technology areas such as chips and quantum: The United States and India will strengthen technological exchanges and cooperation to jointly promote scientific and technological innovation. The two sides will carry out in-depth cooperation in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy and other fields to jointly address global challenges, such as climate change and energy security.
On Supply Chains: The United States and India will strengthen logistics and transportation cooperation to ensure stable and efficient supply chains. The two sides will also strengthen cooperation in infrastructure construction, financial services and other fields to improve the overall competitiveness of the supply chain.
In Nuclear and Renewable Energy: The United States and India will continue to deepen cooperation to jointly advance clean energy. The two sides will cooperate in nuclear energy technology research and development, renewable energy projects and other areas to achieve the energy transition and sustainable development goals.
In the field of education: The United States and India will strengthen educational exchanges and cooperation to cultivate more talents with international perspectives. The two sides will carry out extensive cooperation in higher education, vocational education and scientific research cooperation, so as to bring more high-quality educational resources to the people of the two countries.
Joint declaration
According to the statement: The United States plans to invest about $300 million to expand its research and development operations in India, a move aimed at strengthening the cooperative relationship between the two countries and promoting scientific and technological innovation and industrial development.
By increasing investment in R&D, the United States will establish more R&D centers and technical teams in India to provide more high-tech talent and technical support to the region.
In addition, to further strengthen cooperation, the two countries have established two joint working groups focusing on cooperation in the field of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN).
Open RAN is an emerging communications technology standard that uses an open, software-defined network architecture that allows devices from different vendors to interoperate on the same network.
By collaborating in the Open RAN space, the United States and India can jointly promote the development and application of this technology and accelerate the development of 5G/6G technology.
Research and development of 5G/6G technologies is critical to the future of the communications industry: these next-generation wireless communication technologies will deliver faster speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity, bringing more opportunities for innovation and development across industries.
By strengthening cooperation, the United States and India can jointly explore new application scenarios and technical solutions to promote the application and development of 5G/6G technology on a global scale.
Open RAN field
Notably: In a statement, the United States made clear that it supports India's permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council, a position consistent with the U.S. government's consistent policy of promoting more inclusive and representative global governance on a global scale.
The Biden administration's view of global governance is that it must be more inclusive and representative, which means that the participation of countries in global affairs should be increased, not just a few large countries.
On this view, the U.S. government reiterated its support for a reformed UN Security Council.
In the new Council structure, India will have the opportunity to assume the role of permanent member.
In addition, the statement also pointed out that in the eyes of the United States, India's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2028-2029 is also welcome. This move will further enhance India's influence in international affairs and reflect the recognition by the United States of India's positive contribution to global governance.
Biden supports India's entry into the Standing Order
However, with regard to the United States' support for India's entry into the Standing Committee, some experts on international issues on the Indian side claimed:
"India must do its own thing, do not believe in the pie drawn by others, otherwise it will be itself who suffers."
Overall, the U.S. support for India's position as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council is based on its quest for more inclusive and representative global governance.
At the same time, the US government also welcomes India's candidacy for non-permanent seats to further promote the reform and development of global governance.