PM Modi hits the ground running on day 1 of US visit by meeting CEOs, Quad allies & US VP

On day one of his US visit, PM Modi had a number of high-profile engagements including meetings with top CEOs and his Australian and Japanese counterparts. Besides this, he held his first in-person meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris. The PM has been accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and other senior officials such as Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. Over the next two days, the PM will meet US President Joe Biden, attend the Quad Leaders' Summit and address the UN General Assembly. 

Here is how Day 1 of PM Modi's US visit unfolded: 

1. Meeting with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon

Among the corporate honchos, the first in line to meet PM Modi was Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. In the "fruitful meeting", they talked about the technology opportunities in India and leveraging technology for the greater public good.  Semi-conductors and the Digital India initiative also came up for discussion.

After the meeting, Amon remarked, "We're so proud of our partnership with India. We're happy with everything we're doing together with India. We talked about many which are very relevant to the future of technology. We talked about 5G and the acceleration of 5G. We talked about incredible opportunities to advance the industry not only domestically in India but India as export of technology as think about the digital transformation enabled by 5G combined of the design in India."

       2. Meeting with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen

In this interaction, a discussion took place over interesting ideas relating to ed-tech, supporting Indian start-ups and boosting innovation. During the meeting, Narayen expressed keenness to take the joys of video and animation to every child in India. Moreover, they spoke about Adobe’s ongoing collaboration and future investment plans in India besides the Digital India initiative. 

Opining that the people of India are the biggest asset, the Adobe Chairman observed, "What inspires me the most about them in case of start-ups is that they are actually dreaming of spreading across the world and do not want to stay confined to India. As an Indian American what can be more inspiring or matter of pride than to see what the PM is doing to really encourage start-ups". He added that India is a big area of investment for Adobe.

       3. Meeting with First Solar CEO Mark Widmar

This meeting was crucial amid PM Modi's push for solar energy having launched the International Solar Alliance in November 2015. While the PM mentioned India's target of generating 450 GW electricity from renewable sources by 2030, Widmar elaborated on First Solar's interest in setting up manufacturing facilities in India using its unique thin-film technology by availing the recently launched Production Linked Incentive scheme. The green hydrogen mission and the integration of India into global supply chains was also a key point of discussion. 

Lauding the pro-business environment in India, Widmar said, "I think the PLI that is put in place is ideal. So you have seen with recent announcements that a number of companies applied for that. So I think that type of program is ideal to help the US or manufacturers come to India in particular."

       4. Meeting with General Atomics CEO Vivek Lall

Maintaining that India has the potential to be the global drone hub by 2030, the Ministry of Civil Aviation notified the liberalised Drone Rules recently. In this context, the interaction with Lall is significant as he appreciated the recent policy changes to accelerate defence and emerging technology manufacturing and augment capacity building in the country. PM Modi stressed that drones are an upcoming sector in which the youths are interested. 

During his press talk, the General Atomics CEO appreciated India's space reforms as well. He noted, "There are a lot of potential areas of collaboration that we are in discussions with. I think US companies and many of my colleagues in US companies see India as a very promising destination". 

       5. Meeting with Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman

On this occasion, the PM appreciated the commercial success and intellectual prowess of Schwarzman. The latter briefed PM Modi on Blackstone’s ongoing projects in India, their interest in further investments in the infrastructure and real estate sectors. They also delved into the investment opportunities in India including those under National Infrastructure Pipeline and National Monetisation Pipeline. 

Announcing his investment plans, the Blackstone CEO stated, "I had a very good meeting with the Prime Minister. I told him that Blackstone had already invested 60 billion US dollars in assets in India. And over the next five years, we're planning another USD 40 billion of assets."

       6. Bilateral meeting with Australian PM Scott Morrison

Ahead of the Quad Summit, PM Modi and his Australian counterpart discussed a wide range of topics aimed at deepening the people-to-people linkages between the two countries. They spoke about regional and global developments as well as ongoing bilateral cooperation in areas related to COVID-19, trade, defence and clean energy. The special relationship between the two nations is evident from the fact that Morrison informed PM Modi of AUKUS even before the security partnership was formally announced. During their previous conversation on September 15, they reviewed the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as well.

       7. Bilateral meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris

During their bilateral meeting, the two leaders also exchanged views on Afghanistan and reaffirmed their commitment towards a "free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region". Furthermore, they discussed the COVID-19 situation in their respective countries including the efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of collaborative action on climate change and the areas of future cooperation including space cooperation, Information Technology, and the healthcare sector. In a big embarrassment for Pakistan, US vice president Kamala Harris acknowledged its nefarious role in backing terror groups.

She not only acknowledged that terror outfits are operational in Pakistan but also agreed with the fact that India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism. Harris also demanded strict action against the terror groups to ensure that there is no threat to the security of both India as well as the US. Meanwhile, the PM invited Harris and US Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff to visit India soon.

       8. Bilateral meeting with Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga

During the meeting, PM Modi and Suga discussed the multi-faceted relationship between India and Japan and exchanged views on recent global and regional developments, including in Afghanistan. The PM thanked his Japanese counterpart for his "personal commitment and leadership" in furthering the India-Japan Special Strategic & Global Partnership over the last few years. Moreover, they reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and committed to facilitating the smooth and timely implementation of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. 

"The two Prime Ministers discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to address it. They highlighted the increasing importance of digital technologies and in this regard positively evaluated the progress in the India-Japan Digital Partnership, especially in start-ups. They exchanged views on further collaboration in various emerging technologies. Discussions also took place on climate change issues and green energy transition, and the potential for Japanese collaboration with India’s National Hydrogen Energy Mission," the MEA added.

[Images credit: @narendramodi (Twitter)]