PM’s June 20 US visit: Education to tech, here’s what Modi, Biden will discuss

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden during their talks next week are expected to touch on five broad areas of significance — healthcare, technology, renewable energy, education, and defence — which would be reflected in the joint statement, India’s envoy to the US has said.

The remarks by India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu came less than a week before Prime Minister Modi’s historic State visit to the US.

Modi will arrive in New York on June 20 and will lead the 9th International Yoga Day celebrations at the UN headquarters on June 21.

The Indian leader will then travel to Washington DC where he will be welcomed by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on June 22 for the State visit, which will include an address to the joint session of the US Congress and the historic State dinner.

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“The leadership will touch five broad areas which are significant. They will be touched by the leadership, and they will be reflected in the joint statement which will come out,” Sandhu told PTI in an exclusive interview on Friday (June 16).

The visit is very significant on the substantive part. “This time around, a lot of ground is being covered,” he said.

#WATCH | Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu speaks on the upcoming state visit of PM Narendra Modi to US

"This is indeed a historic and path-breaking visit. I use these terminologies by fully looking into them. You will see both on the substantive side & on the… pic.twitter.com/Mer8LUWE4y

— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2023

Early this year, the national security advisors of the two nations — Ajit K Doval and Jake Sullivan — launched a path-breaking initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). Sullivan was in India this week for talks with Doval.

Technology — both commercial and strategic

“Technology is going to be a significant part and you know that technology is cross-cutting. Technology is not only a commercial aspect but also has a very strong strategic side. And trust and confidence are important bases of any technology-sharing or collaboration,” he said.

“The other is healthcare and in that, affordable healthcare, affordable medicines, affordable vaccines, and of course training, research, etc., all will be part of it. Number two is on the technology side, it is IT, digital start-up innovation. All of them are in one basket,” said the ambassador.

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“Then of course we have another that is the renewable basket, which has solar as an important element of that battery technology, similarly, hydrogen. All these will be prominently there,” Sandhu said in response to a question.

“On education and knowledge partnership, there is a lot of movement,” he said.

2,00,000 Indian students in the US

“In India, we have a new education policy. Of course, here I would like to mention that there are at present 2,00,000 Indian students (in the US). Two-thirds of them are in STEM areas. This student population, this linkage is a very important linkage. But under the new education policy now, the forward movement is going to be in establishing campus-to-campus relations, inter-twining of degrees, joint research work,” Sandhu said.

He said he had personally spoken to a large number of chancellors and presidents of universities and educational institutions.

Also read: PM Modi to lead International Yoga Day celebrations at UNHQ on June 21

“You have already seen that this has been carried forward. It’s one of the important elements of iCET that is the education collaboration, and that will be a significant path,” he said.

“Finally, not the last and the least is the defence and the strategic side. As I mentioned, high tech is an important element. It is a cross-cutting area. High tech certainly has an impact,” he said.

India — emerging technology powerhouse in defence

On the defence side, the United States is a technology powerhouse and India is an emerging technology powerhouse.

“So, this collaboration interaction is natural,” Sandhu said.

“Earlier it was more of a buyer-seller, more of a trading relationship. Now we are looking more deeper to the next level, which is co-production and co-development collaboration between the two sides,” he said.

“The relationship is now going to the next level and there are a number of aspects in the visit which are pointing towards that,” Sandhu said.

“Even on the ceremonial side – to have the state visit. It shows that India has a special respect here and that’s one of the underlying reasons. It’ll also provide an opportunity to both the leaders to be able to spend time together and discuss across the board a number of issues which are of mutual interest,” he said.

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“You will see across the areas there is going to be much more cooperation and working together, and this will have an impact not only for the United States and India but also for many third countries,” Sandhu said.

Responding to a question on the India-US collaboration for the global common good, Sandhu said that both the leaders have a very strong comfort factor with each other and in the time they spend, they will discuss a number of cross-cutting issues.

“But there are some areas in which collaboration is beginning and there is a great push to further it,” he said.

In the healthcare sector, he said, the United States and India can partner together. There is a vaccine called Corbevax, for example, developed by Baylor College, but bulk-produced by BioE, an Indian bio-technology and bio-pharmaceutical company.

“Similarly in IT digital start-ups, there is again a lot of scope for us to be working together in third countries,” said Sandhu.

“Even in education and knowledge partnerships, India has a unique perspective on Africa. We have been present there for years and in so many other areas. That’s another remarkable area where the United States, India partnership can reach for global good as the Prime Minister mentions it,” he said.

Indian diaspora’s significant role in India-US relationship

The Indian diaspora, almost four million strong, again has a unique position and has played a very significant role in the India-US relationship, he said, adding it is the perfect example of how Indian-Americans have been so successful in the United States today.

“Today, if we look at any field, look at education, if you go to any of the top universities or even tier-two universities in the top leadership, I have always found in my interactions there are definitely at least two Indian-Americans in the top five,” he said.

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“Similarly in the administration, in the US Congress, in the think tanks, Indian-Americans have been a very successful model for many other communities here and therefore I would certainly compliment their role,” said the ambassador.

“They have played a significant part and they are connected with India,” he said.

“I’ll give you one example. One of the pharma establishment CEOs, actually both the husband and wife studied here, went back to India and are doing so well. They are an important bridge in healthcare cooperation between the two sides. We are very proud of them,” Sandhu said.

(With agency inputs)