From being the first speaker at the 76th United Nations (UN) General Assembly to holding meetings with CEOs of big companies, and scheduled bilateral discussions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day US visit is jam-packed.
However, this visit also comes in the backdrop of an array of geopolitical developments – from the fallout in Afghanistan to the recent strategic alignments between the US and Australia and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pertinent to this visit will be the first in-person leaders' meeting of the Quad – an alliance between India, US, Australia, and Japan – on 24 September.
The group, which has only met sporadically since it was formed in 2007, is officially committed to a shared vision “for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, resilient and inclusive” by strengthening its relations on supply chain, communications, technology and climate chance projects.