Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a “warm and productive meeting” on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Manila yesterday and discussed issues of mutual interest.
A day after they held a brief interaction at a dinner hosted by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the two leaders “discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest”, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.
The meeting also comes a day after India, US, Japan and Australia held talks to begin the quadrilateral process for greater co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Modi said: “Relations between India and the US are growing.”
“I also feel that these relations between India and the US are not just for our mutual interests but go much beyond that, and we are working together for the interests of the future of Asia and for humanity as a whole in the world.”
Modi said that in the past few days, wherever President Trump has travelled and whenever an opportunity arose to talk about India, he has expressed very high opinion about India and said things full of hope.
At the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) Summit in Vietnam last week, Trump commended India for achieving “astounding” growth since opening its economy and heaped praise on Modi, saying the prime minister has been working to bring the country and its people together.
“I would like to assure you that whatever are the expectations of the world, of the US from India, India has always worked and made efforts to do our bit and fulfill those expectations and we will continue to do so in the future too,” Modi said.
This was the second Modi-Trump meeting after the prime minister’s visit to Washington in June.
Modi later visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a premier research organisation dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science at Los Banos.
The institute works on improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers and protecting the rice growing environment for future generations.
“My visit to International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was a great learning experience,” Modi tweeted.
The prime minister said that he interacted with Indian scientists, students and researchers working at IRRI.
“India’s ICAR (Indian Council for Agricultural Research) and IRRI have been co-operating for four decades,” Modi said.
“India is also involved in helping IRRI in strategic planning, helping decide key goals and working to overcome hunger as well as poverty.”
Modi reviewed a photo exhibit showcasing flood tolerant, drought tolerant and salinity tolerant rice varieties and IRRI’s work with women farming co-operatives.
He also undertook a symbolic ground breaking for a new plot for submergence tolerant rice varieties and unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory.
IRRI will set up a South Asia Regional Centre in Varanasi, Modi’s constituency, which will be the first such centre outside its headquarters in the Philippines.
The prime minister also visited the Mahaveer Philippine Foundation that has helped rehabilitate thousands of disabled people in the country with the famed Jaipur Foot.
Modi interacted with nine-year old Carlo Migel Silvano from Bulacan province at the foundation.
“He (Carlo) is one of the thousands in the Philippines fitted with the Indian-made ‘Jaipur Foot’ at this Foundation,” the External Affairs Ministry spokesman tweeted.
The foundation is an associate centre of the Jaipur-based Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayat Samiti (BMVSS) of the famed Jaipur Foot artificial limb.
BMVSS is the world’s largest organisation to rehabilitate over 1.55mn lives with the artificial limb.
Modi also spoke at an Indian community reception organised by Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Jaideep Mazumdar.
He said it was the duty of Indians to work to make the 21st century India’s century.
“If the 21st century is considered to be Asia’s century, then it becomes our duty to make it India’s century and I say it is possible,” Modi said.
“Our efforts are aimed at transforming India and ensuring everything in our nation matches global standards,” he said.
The prime minister said India had always contributed to world peace.
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a bilateral meeting alongside the Aean Summit in Manila yesterday.
