How Modi, Biden turbocharged India-US ties

WASHINGTON, June 23 (BBC/REuters): Following a lavish state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, US President Joe Biden has called his country's partnership with India among the "most consequential in the world". The BBC's Vikas Pandey and Soutik Biswas explore the factors that contribute to the visit's potential in strengthening the ties between the two nations.
The US's relationship with India - the world's most populous country - is "stronger, closer and more dynamic than any time in history", Mr Biden said at the completion of a pomp-filled state visit by Mr Modi to the White House.
The remark may not be an exaggeration. "This summit suggests that the relationship has been transformed. It underscores just how broad and deep it has become in a relatively short time," says Michael Kugelman of The Wilson Centre, an American think-tank.
A key reason is that Washington is keen to draw India closer so that it can act as a counterbalance to China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. India-US ties had not lived up to their promise following a landmark civilian nuclear deal in 2005 because a liability law passed by India three years later hobbled purchase of reactors.
"This followed a fading commitment to the relationship during [former prime minister] Manmohan Singh's second term as the leader of a coalition government. With Mr Modi there has been a lot more enthusiasm about embracing the US. Mr Biden has also given an overall broad directive to make it work," says Seema Sirohi, author of Friends With Benefits: The India-US Story.
An AFP report adds: President Joe Biden's son Hunter has been invited to the prestigious state dinner on Thursday for India's prime minister, just days after agreeing to a plea deal on federal charges.
Hunter Biden will be accompanied by his wife, Melissa Cohen, according to a list of invitees shared by the White House, which also included the daughter of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, Ashley Biden.
The president's granddaughter Naomi Biden, who was married at the White House in November 2022, was also on the guest list of nearly 400 people.
Hunter Biden is the only surviving child of Joe Biden's first marriage, which ended tragically in 1972 when his wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident.
Hunter Biden is due to appear in court on July 26, after agreeing this week to plead guilty to two federal tax-related charges and admitting to illegally possessing a gun despite having a history of drug use. He has written and spoken extensively about struggles with cocaine.
Hunter Biden's business dealings, especially during the time his father was vice president, have been a major target of Joe Biden's political opponents since the 2020 presidential election, and continue to be probed by congressional Republicans.