PM Modi, President Biden meet in Japan; discuss defence, vaccine, education collaborations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden in Tokyo on Tuesday. PM Modi is on a two-day visit to attend the Quad Summit. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the meeting resulted in substantive outcomes that will add depth and momentum to the bilateral partnership. 

Before this the two leaders had a virtual interaction on April 11. The bilateral talks in Japan is a continuation of the regular high-level dialogue between the two leaders who last met in-person in September 2021 in Washington DC, followed by interactions at the G20 and COP26 summits thereafter. 

PM Modi and President Biden welcomed the signing of the Investment Incentive Agreement that enables the US Development Finance Corporation to continue providing investment support in India in sectors such as healthcare, renewable energy, SMEs, infrastructure etc. 

Both sides also launched an India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) to forge closer linkages between government, academia, and industry of the nations in areas such as AI, quantum computing, 5G/6G, biotech, space and semiconductors. 

The leaders noted that defence and security cooperation is key to the India-US bilateral agenda, and discussed how to further strengthen the collaboration. PM Modi invited the US industry to partner and manufacture in India under the Make in India and  Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. 

The countries also extended the longstanding Vaccine Action Programme (VAP) until 2027 to continue joint biomedical research. 

PM Modi also called for collaborations in higher education. He welcomed the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) too. 

The leaders also discussed regional issues in South Asia and in the Indo-Pacific region. They called for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. 

PM Modi and President Biden agreed to continue their dialogue and pursue their shared vision of taking the India-US partnership to the next level. 

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