On the afternoon of February 13th, in the Eastern Time Zone, President Donald Trump met with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House and held a press conference. The event was live-streamed by Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty with real-time Chinese subtitles.
After 4 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, Trump welcomed Modi to the White House. Just a few hours earlier, Trump unveiled a blueprint for reciprocal tariffs, with the White House stating that this move would strengthen the economy and national security.
During the meeting with Modi in the Oval Office, Trump mentioned, “They will be purchasing a lot of our oil and natural gas,” expressing optimism about reaching excellent trade agreements between the United States and India. He pointed out, “I greatly appreciate one thing in particular, which I have learned from President Trump – putting national interests first,” Modi said while sitting alongside Trump at the White House, “Like him, I also prioritize the national interests of India.”
According to Reuters, an Indian government official, who chose to remain anonymous, mentioned that Modi’s team had considered commitments to make to Trump before the meeting, including increasing purchases of liquefied natural gas, military vehicles, and jet engines.
Prior to the meeting, Modi stated on social media platform X, “Looking forward to meeting with US President Donald Trump and deepening the comprehensive global strategic partnership between India and the United States. Our countries will continue to collaborate closely to benefit our peoples and create a better future for our planet.”
US officials said in a briefing on Thursday morning that Trump would seek to expand US defense and energy exports to India during the talks, further strengthening Washington’s relationship with the country with the world’s largest population, particularly as Beijing’s influence in the region continues to grow.
The officials also emphasized topics to be announced during the meeting, including “semiconductors, critical minerals, supply chain resilience, and diversification.”
China (CCP) will also be a focal point of the discussions. The White House indicated that the two leaders would also discuss advancing the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) involving the US, India, Australia, and Japan.
On Wednesday, India’s Steel Minister noted that India may impose temporary tariffs of 15%-25% on steel products from China in the next six months to address the “severe challenge” posed by cheap Chinese products to Indian manufacturers.
During Modi’s visit to Washington, he is scheduled to meet with the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce. He will also have a separate meeting with Elon Musk.
Live Platform:
– Epoch Times: https://youtube.com/live/4FkHu6W37zc
– New Tang Dynasty: https://youtube.com/live/FFNbUocSq6M
– Gan Jing Shi Jie (Clean World): https://www.ganjingworld.com/live/1he1iu4pji76p9hIQdOK9NPlP1so1c