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Joe Biden to host India’s Narendra Modi for state visit in June
- India is understood to have sought the highest level of protocol for a head of state; the trip will include a state dinner
- Washington is courting New Delhi as a counter-influence to Beijing, but faces concerns over human rights and democratic backsliding under Modi’s leadership
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US President Joe Biden will host India’s Narendra Modi for a state visit in June, it was announced on Wednesday, as Washington courts New Delhi as a bulwark against China.
The state visit, the highest level of diplomatic reception, will boost the United States and India’s “shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific”, the White House said.
The invitation comes despite rising concerns about human rights and democratic backsliding under Modi’s Hindu nationalist leadership in India, the world’s most populous nation.
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Washington has long sought to boost India as a counter-influence to an increasingly assertive China in Asia – and New Delhi, worried about Beijing’s build-up on the other side of its border, has also sought to build ties.
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Students clash with police over banned BBC film critical of India’s Narendra Modi
Students clash with police over banned BBC film critical of India’s Narendra Modi
But Ukraine has emerged as a stumbling point in the partnership. India, a long-time military ally of Russia, has called for an end to hostilities, but has never condemned the Russian invasion.
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