In an Ahmedabad rally with an audience of more than one hundred thousand people, US President praised the US India relationship and Prime Minister Modi's leadership. The two leaders announced plans to work together on counternarcotics and mental health. India agreed to purchase $3 billion in US military equipment, and US based oil company ExxonMobil announced a deal with state-owned Indian Oil Corporation. Earlier despite years of negotiations aimed at resolving trade issues, officials did not reach an agreement, with divisions remaining over agricultural products, tariffs, and other areas.
US Government administration terminated India's preferential trade status, part of a program dating back to the 1970s that allowed products from developing countries to enter the U.S. market duty free. US Government said that India had not provided "equitable and reasonable access" to its own market. Weeks later, India slaped tariffs on twenty-eight US products in response to U.S. duties on steel and aluminum imposed in 2018. New Delhi had drafted the retaliatory tariffs earlier but held off on implementing them amid trade talks.
During a "two-plus-two" dialogue in New Delhi, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis signed an agreement with Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) gave India access to advanced communication technology used in US defense equipment and allowed real-time information sharing between the two countries' militaries. The agreement had been under negotiation for nearly a decade.
US President welcomeed Prime Minister Modi to the White House for their first face-to-face meeting. Though Trump had raised sharp disagreements with India over trade, climate change and H-1B visas, these issues were sidelined during the leaders' summit, and their joint statement emphasized strengthening their defense partnership, cooperating on counterterrorism efforts and boosting economic ties.
During Prime Minister Modi and US President's final meeting in the White House, the United States elevates India to a major defense partner, a status no other country holds. An expansion of the ten-year defense agreement renewed in 2015, the designation, which became law in August 2018, means that India will enjoy some of the benefits of being a US treaty ally, such as access to defense technology, though the alliance is not a formal one. In a speech before Congress a day later, Modi celebrated his country's growing diplomatic and economic ties with the United States. Two months later, the United States and India signed an agreement on deeper military cooperation after nearly a decade of negotiations.
US President made his second visit to India as head of state for India's Republic Day celebrations. The president herald the relationship between the world's two largest democracies, saying, "America can be India's best partner." US President and Prime Minister of INDIA announced a breakthrough on nuclear-related issues that could help implement the U.S.-India civil nuclear deal. Six months later, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and India's defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, sign documents to renew the ten-year U.S.-India Defense Framework Agreement.
Modi made his first visit as prime minister to the United States, aiming to attract investment and firm up the U.S.-India strategic partnership. Modi's events included a sold-out speech in New York's Madison Square Garden and meetings with U.S. business executives. In Washington, Modi and President of US reached agreement on a memorandum of understanding between the Export-Import Bank and an Indian energy agency, which provided up to $1 billion to help India develop low-carbon energy alternatives and aid U.S. renewable energy exports to India.
Manmohan Singh visited Washington in his last visit to the United States as India's prime minister. The trip, which focused on security, trade, immigration reform, and the civilian nuclear deal, marks the third meeting between Singh and Obama in four years. It comes amid a backdrop of domestic political issues in Delhi, a troubled Indian economy, and a government shutdown crippling Washington.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta visited India to bolster military ties in the wake of the Obama administration's announced "pivot" to Asia. The trip marks the first such visit since former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met with Indian counterparts in January 2010.
The United States and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi to promote closer cybersecurity cooperation. The agreement was designed to fulfill one of the pillars of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue.
US President visited India, where he addressed Parliament and backed the country's long-held bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The trip also highlighted the countries' economic ties, with US President announcing $14.9 billion in trade deals. However, trade concerned around access to Indian markets and issues surrounding civil nuclear cooperation cloud the talks.
The United States and India formally convened the first U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue. A large, high-ranking delegation of Indian officials visits Washington, DC, and Secretary Clinton lauded India as "an indispensable partner." President Obama says the relationship "will be a defining partnership in the twenty-first century."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner made his first official trip to India to launch the new U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership with Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The ministerial-level meetings kicked off an effort to institutionalize deeper bilateral relations on economic and financial sector issues.
The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an intergovernmental body that sets guidelines for nuclear exports, allows an exemption to its rules [PDF] that permits India to engage in nuclear trade for the first time in three decades. The waiver is approved following intense diplomatic efforts by the Bush administration, dating back to 2005 when Washington and New Delhi signed the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative. Ahead of the NSG negotiations, Secretary Rice lobbies foreign counterparts to support the waiver, making more than two dozen phone calls. Analysts say the deal is critical to India's economic growth and satisfying increasing energy demands.
Some of the first shipments of Indian mangoes was sent to United States, ending an eighteen-year ban on importing the fruit. The ban was lifted as part of an agreement reached by US President and Prime Minister of India in 2006 to double trade between the countries within three years. In response, India said it will relax restrictions on importing Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the United States. Bilateral trade in goods and services totaled around $45 billion in 2006 and rose to more than $70 billion in 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
India and the United States inked the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, a framework that lifted a three-decade U.S. moratorium on nuclear energy trade with India. Under the agreement, India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place all its civil resources under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. In exchange, the United States agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.
The United States and India signed the New Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship [PDF], which sets priorities for defense cooperation in maritime security, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, and counterterrorism. The two countries conducted the largest naval exercise to date, followed by major air and land exercises.
US Government lifted all remaining U.S. sanctions that were imposed on India after its 1998 nuclear test. Most economic sanctions had been eased within a few months of their imposition, and Congress authorized the president to remove all remaining restrictions in 1999.
India Government launched sweeping economic reforms that helped to expand economic ties with the United States.
US President visited India on a three-day official trip to meet with Indian President and Prime Minister, and addressed Parliament.
Nine American universities and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) helped to establish one of the first Indian Institutes of Technology. Under the Kanpur Indo-American Program [PDF], American faculty members developed academic programs and research laboratories at the new university over a decade. The partnership was one of many examples of higher education collaboration between the two countries.