U.S. President Barack Obama and his accompanying delegation have arrived in India to attend the Indian National Day celebration and to conduct a series of bilateral meetings. This will be his first state visit of 2015. Obama is the first American President to be invited to attend the Indian National Day celebration and the only American President to pay two state visits to India during his term in office.

It is a little surprising that America should attach such importance to its relations with India. After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, although warmly invited by Obama, Modi visited America only after he had been to Bhutan, Nepal, Brazil and Japan, and invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his home town.

What can India and the U.S. do for each other?

Obama shares much in common with his counterpart Modi in his approach to politics. In his recent State of the Union speech Obama advocated robbing the rich to feed the poor. Modi, born and brought up in a lower-middle-class family, favors policies that will benefit the common people. The commonalities in their way of thinking allow Modi and Obama to feel like confidants. During Modi's state visit to America in September 2014, the two Presidents learned to appreciate each other.

India and the U.S. need each other on national level. India has dreams of creating its own "Made in India" industry. Indian industry, and especially its military, is heavily reliant on Russia. However, while the U.S. is emerging from its recession, Russia is in the doldrums. India has to rearrange its foreign policy accordingly. The U.S. is obvious a country with advanced technology, abundant capital and a mature export market. If the U.S. establishes a more stable relationship with India, it will give India a stronger voice in regional and even international affairs.

Obama's attempt to establish closer diplomatic relations with India represents a correction in the course of US policy. During the first six years of Obama's presidency, relations between the U.S. and India were not so warm as during George W Bush's period in office. Exceptionally, Obama is now seeking to establish relations with India's Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Modi. His campaign could promote progress in global climate change negotiations. In the last two years of his term in office, Obama is seeking breakthroughs in foreign affairs and in global climate governance.

The article is edited and translated from 《奥巴马和莫迪，互相需要什么》, source: Beijing News, author: Xu Lifan