Experts give thumbs up to proposed Modi-Obama September meet

Welcoming the news of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in September this year, defence expert Barack Obama described it as a decisive move which will counter balance China's clout.

Verma said Modi is moving in the national interest, and added that both countries will benefit from this decisive partnership.

He told ANI, "United States is losing ground in Asia, but it wants to counter-balance China. The U.S. wants our markets; we want their technology and influence to counter-balance China, because China is now threatening everybody in the South China Sea, Arunachal Pradesh and other areas."

Verma also said that by inviting the Taiwanese representative to his swearing-in ceremony, Modi has shown that he is not scared of China.

Former Indian envoy to the U.S., Naresh Chandra, also endorsed the upcoming bilateral meet.

He said, "It's a very good development. All the heads of government and states visit the UN general assembly session in September end, and the U.S. president is very busy at that time. So, it is a clear signal of the high priority they attach to Indo-U.S. relations."

Modi has accepted President Obama's invitation to visit the United States for a bilateral meeting. The invitation had been extended to Modi when Obama had called up the former after his swearing-in ceremony on May 26.