PM Modi to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb 13

PM Modi is scheduled to pay a twoday visit to the US from February 12 to hold talks with US President Donald Trump over various issues including trade and defence people familiar with the matter said on Monday PTI reportedAccording to the plan Modi will travel to Washington DC after concluding his twoday visit to Paris they saidPM Modi is expected to land in Americas national capital on the evening of February 12 and he and Trump are expected to hold talks the next day the people said PTI reportedIt would be Modis first bilateral visit to the US after Trump assumed the presidency for a second term on January 20 following his historic electoral victory in November last yearThe prime minister will be among the few foreign leaders to travel to Washington DC on a bilateral visit within weeks after the Trump administration came to power PTI reportedAs per PTI there is no official word about Modis US visit yet Last week the Ministry of External Affairs MEA said New Delhi is working with Washington for an early visit of PM Modi to the StatesThe prime minister will be travelling to Paris to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action summit on February 10 and 11Modis visit to the US is taking place against the backdrop of concerns in India over the US Presidents approach on immigration and tariff PTI reportedPresident Trump on Sunday announced imposing a 25 per cent tariff on the imports of Canadian and Mexican goods as well as an additional 10 per cent tax on Chinese goodsOn January 27 Modi and Trump during a phone conversation vowed to work towards a trusted partnership with a focus on boosting IndiaUS cooperation in areas of trade energy and defence PTI citedFollowing the phone talks the White House said Trump highlighted the importance of India increasing its procurement of USmade security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trade relationshipBoth leaders emphasised their commitment to advance the USIndia strategic partnership and the IndoPacific Quad partnership with India hosting Quad Leaders for the first time later this year it said PTI citedIndia has already indicated its keenness to expand its energy ties with the US especially in the sector of clean energyAs per PTI New Delhi announced plans to amend its nuclear liability law on Saturday and set up a nuclear energy mission a move that came ahead of Modis visit to the USCertain clauses in Indias Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010 have emerged as hurdles in moving forward in implementation of the historic civil nuclear deal that was firmed up around 16 years ago between the two strategic partnersIt is learnt that India is looking at the possibility of civil nuclear cooperation with the US in the small modular reactors SMRs PTI reportedUSbased Holtec International is known to be one of the leading exporters of SMRs globally and the Department of Atomic Energy is learnt to be interested in having some ties with the American firmWith PTI inputs