For Biden, India offers a diplomatic and military counterbalance to China’s power in the region, at a time when the US is distancing itself from its biggest trade partner and the world’s manufacturing powerhouse. Both nations see Beijing as a threat, with Biden expanding Trump-era export curbs to China and Modi’s government banning hundreds of Chinese apps in the wake of a border clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead in 2020.

For Biden, India offers a diplomatic and military counterbalance to China’s power in the region, at a time when the US is distancing itself from its biggest trade partner and the world’s manufacturing powerhouse. Both nations see Beijing as a threat, with Biden expanding Trump-era export curbs to China and Modi’s government banning hundreds of Chinese apps in the wake of a border clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead in 2020.

High on the agenda will be removing regulatory constraints to doing business, particularly in the tech space. As the Biden administration seeks to prevent China from obtaining advanced chips and other technology, the US and India are working on ways to promote semiconductor manufacturing in India, according to officials aware of details who asked not to be named since discussions were private.