via cbsnews.com - WASHINGTON -- President Trump will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday for his first dinner at the White House with a foreign head of state, rolling out the red carpet as the administration seeks to strengthen ties with India, a major defense partner and ally.
The dinner will be the first meeting between Mr. Trump and Modi. Both are flamboyant, combative leaders who came into office promising economic reforms on a wave of nationalist support.
"I think these two leaders have a lot in common. For one, they are the world's two most followed political leaders on social media," a senior White House official said on Friday ahead of the meeting. "They are both innovators and businessmen and committed to bringing greater prosperity to their people and thinking about innovative ways to do that. I think they are going to find a lot of common ground in their discussions."
Just weeks ago, Mr. Trump hammered India when announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, slamming the country's participation in the accord as being "contingent on receiving billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries."
With the upcoming dinner, the White House says it hopes to restate its commitment to working with India on counterterrorism efforts, trade, and global cooperation in North Korea and Afghanistan.
"This visit is an opportunity to advance that trade dialogue that will enhance prosperity and create jobs for both countries," the official said. "We believe a strong India is good for the United States."
The administration official would not comment on a $2-billion pending arms deal that would provide 22 naval surveillance drones to India. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., the company that makes the aircraft, announced Friday that the administration had approved of the sale, the first of its kind between the U.S. and a non-NATO country.
"We do take into account the regional situation," the official said of potential defense deals, adding that the administration wants to "avoid a situation that escalates tensions" between India and neighboring rival Pakistan.
"Some of the defense systems we're talking about, we don't believe that they represent a threat to Pakistan," the official said.
The official said the White House hopes to encourage a "normalization of ties" between the India and Pakistan through bilateral dialogue. The official also praised India's financial support for war-torn Afghanistan -- Pakistan's neighbor to the west -- where India has pledged over $3 billion in aid and funded various infrastructure projects.
The White House, which has deemed the final week of June as "Energy Week," will also highlight the energy partnership between the U.S. and India, citing $42 billion in long-term contracts for the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Louisiana and Maryland. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has prioritized efforts to review and approve LNG export terminals in the U.S. (ontinueReading
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