Indian PM Modi to test 'chemistry' during meeting with Trump

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington on Sunday, starting a two-day visit to the United States amid bids to boost ties between the two countries and test his personal "chemistry" with US President Donald Trump.

The two leaders will meet on Monday and are expected to discuss a range of issues including ways to deepen defense ties, trade and visas for skilled workers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) meets with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa in Lisbon, June 24, 2017, before heading to Washington. /VCG Photo

Welcoming 'a true friend'

"If there's one thing we want (from the visit), it's chemistry," a senior Indian official told AFP. "If the chemistry is good then frankly everything else gets sorted."

Initial interactions between Modi and Trump appeared to be polite and friendly, as they exchanged warm words on Twitter ahead of their first meeting.

"Important strategic issues to discuss with a true friend!" Trump wrote late Saturday.

"Thank you @POTUS for the warm personal welcome. Greatly look forward to my meeting and discussions with you @realDonaldTrump," Modi tweeted in response.

US President Donald Trump speaks in the White House in Washington, June 23, 2017. /VCG Photo

Alyssa Ayres, a former US State Department official, told Al Jazeera that he did not expect the visit to bring important breakthroughs to the US-India relationship, noting that the two leaders would focus on "building a personal relationship."

"Both governments are messaging that this summit is about building a personal relationship and finding an equation between two men that's comparable to the good working relationship Modi had with (ex-US President Barack) Obama," Ayres said.

Surveillance drone deal

The US government approved the sale of MQ-9B Guardian, a naval variant of the Predator drone made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc to India, the US-based company confirmed on Friday.

Last year, India showed interest in buying 22 Guardian unmanned aircraft for the surveillance of the Indian Ocean. The deal could be worth some two billion US dollars.

The deal, approved ahead of Modi's visit to Washington, will make India the first non-NATO member to be equipped with MQ-9B Guardian drones.

"This is the first very significant sign of the Trump administration being more result oriented in its relationship with India compared to Obama administration," a US government source told India's PTI news agency, requesting anonymity as the deal has not been formally announced.

Meanwhile, a senior White House official indicated on Friday that the deal would not represent a threat to India's South Asian rival Pakistan – a country that the US has been working with in the "war on terror."

"Some of the defense systems we're talking about we don't believe impact Pakistan," the official said, according to Reuters.

How Washington and New Delhi push forward their military cooperation in a highly complicated and volatile region will be closely watched.

'Make in India' vs 'America First'

Visa and trade issues are also likely to feature in Modi-Trump talks, an Al Jazeera report predicted.

The Indian prime minister could raise concerns over a visa scheme for bringing high-skilled foreign workers into the US, including many Indians working in Silicon Valley.

Trump, known for his anti-immigrant and protectionist stance, has ordered a review of the H-1B visa program, threatening Indian IT firms with major businesses in the US.

Headquarters of Indian software giant Infosys in Bangalore, India. /VCG Photo

Last year, the US trade deficit to India widened to 31 billion US dollars – an issue that Trump could raise to Modi in an attempt to level up his country's trade deficits with major trade partners worldwide.

Michael Kugelman, a scholar at Washington-based think tank the Woodrow Wilson Center, told Al Jazeera that economic nationalism could stir tensions between the two leaders.

"The clashing objectives of Modi's 'Make in India' – which calls on foreign firms to operate in India - and Trump's 'America First' – which asks US firms to stay home – portend possible bilateral irritants that are better off not surfacing in this maiden meeting."

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