advertisement
Prime Minster Narendra Modi and United States President Joe Biden addressed a press conference following bilateral talks and addressed issues of human rights, press freedom, discrimination and democracy.
When questioned regarding claims of targeting minorities and human rights violations in India, PM Modi said, "We have proved democracy can deliver. If there are no human values, no human rights, no humanity, it's not a democracy.
President Biden was also asked about criticism against PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government overlooking human rights violations in India, some of which originated from within the democratic party, including the targeting of religious minorities and clamp down on dissent.
Biden said:
Biden also mentioned press freedom in his opening statement and said that both India and US “cherish freedom and celebrate the democratic values of universal human rights which face challenges around the world and in each of our countries.”
“The friendship between our nations is only going to grow as we face a future together,” he added.
As statements began, Biden said, "The partnership is among the most consequential in the world that is stronger, closer and more dynamic in any time in history."
Biden also shrugged off Chinese complaints about his use of the word “dictator” to describe President Xi Jinping and said that he was simply speaking the "facts."
"We had an incident that caused some confusion but Secretary Blinken had a great trip to China. I expect to be meeting Chinese President Xi sometime in the future," he said.
During the press conference, both US President Joe Biden and PM Narendra Modi laid significant importance on economic ties. Laying out their discussions, PM Modi said that trade between the two countries has almost doubled over the decade, "supporting tens of thousands of good jobs in both India and the United States."
The pair also announced the setting up of US consulates in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru and an Indian consulate in Seattle.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)