PM Narendra Modi's State Visit in June: US-India maritime-space Relationship in Focus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the United States in June for a state visit and talks with President Barack Obama expected to be focused on taking bilateral ties to the "defining relationship of the 21st century".


Obama, who will demit office next January,has hosted state visits to US allies  and friends  and honouring Modi at this juncture implies taking ties to a high level projecting Washington's "Asia Pivot"  that aims at balancing the rise of China with India.

China claiming the entire South China Sea with a "nine-dashed line" on map, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. India becomes strategically important for the United States  to adopt a more united stance against China over the South China Sea.



 As the agenda is being finalised to make Modi's fourth trip  to Washington susccessful ,the bilateral talks this time will be on the larger perspective that includes space and maritime cooperation on security and economy, intelligence sharing on cyber security  and also on nuclear commerce .Freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and joint exercises, especially in the maritime field, are among the issues that will be up on the table.

 White House decided to  roll out the red carpet for Modi after US secretary of defence Ashton Carter and defence minister Manohar Parrikar agreed  “in-principle” over “a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement”, or LSA. The two sides will continue to work on CISMOA and BECA.LEMA is one of three agreements, often referred to as foundational agreements. The other two are the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)

Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) will enable both the countries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies on a reimbursable basis.

A bipartisan group of four top American lawmakers asked the Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan to invite Indian Prime Minister Modi for a joint meeting of the Congress.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Washington on June 7 and 8 of this year," Congressmen Ed Royce, Eliot Engel, George Holding and Ami Bera said in a letter to  Ryan.

Mr Royce is Chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee and Mr Engel is its Ranking Member. Mr Holding and Mr Bera are Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

"Given the depth of our relationship with India across a range of areas -- defence, humanitarian and disaster relief, space cooperation, conservation, and innovation, -- we believe this is an ideal opportunity for the Congress to hear directly from the Prime Minister," they said.


Modi's June 7 or 8 state visit to US during "lame duck" presidency  may predict the alliances  with multipolar world with three powers  including US, Russia  and China aiming to grab more allies to become stronger .



China is building new allies with the help of economic projects. With China Pakistan Economic Corridor ,Pakistan becomes a strategic economic partner of  China as Gwadar is the shortest link to Europe, Africa and Middle East.



While Russia  energy  and oil projects in Syria  and elsewhere checkmates US economic and strategic interests .