Kamala Harris

Harris, 56, is the first-ever Indian American to be elected as the vice president of the United States. She met PM Modi in the White House, making history as the highest-ranking Indian-American to welcome the leader of a country that is becoming one of America’s most important allies, The Los Angeles Times newspaper said.

He said that when the issues of terrorism came up during their meeting on Thursday, "the Vice President suo moto referred to Pakistan's role in that regard. She said that they were terror groups that were working there. She asked Pakistan to take action so that these groups do not impact on US security and that of India".

"Mr Prime Minister, it is my honour to welcome you to the White House and to Washington D.C. It is my understanding that this is your first trip outside of South Asia for at least the last 16 months. On behalf of the President (Joe Biden) and myself, we are honoured to welcome you for this visit

Excellency, some months ago, we had an opportunity to talk to each other on the phone. We had a detailed discussion at that time. And the way you spoke to me so warmly and so naturally, I will always remember that. Thank you so much.

"It's consistent with longstanding practice across many administrations for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to simply remind agency senior staff of the need to review and update orderly shutdown plans," Psaki said at a press briefing on Thursday, referring to the OMB.

Both wore masks - Modi white and Harris black. Harris dressed in a sleek black and white pantsuit, and sported her string of trusty pearls. Modi arrived in a crisp, milky white kurta ensemble with a black Nehru jacket, teamed with black shoes. Harris began about 5 minutes of remarks noting the passage of time since Modi was here last.

The meeting is scheduled for 3.15 p.m. (12.45 a.m. Friday in India) at the Vice President's Ceremonial Office. The meeting is closed, but before it starts, a media pool will be allowed in to see them and the leaders can make statements or entertain questions at their discretion. Harris and Modi are known to have interacted so far through only one phone call.

Harris has had a tense relationship with Modi's administration after criticizing External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in 2019 for refusing to meet with the House Foreign Affairs Committee of Pramila Jayapal, an Indian-origin member of the House Representatives, who was not a member of the panel included in the meeting.

In the meeting on Tuesday with Xiong Bo, the Chinese envoy to Hanoi, the Vietnam Prime Minister said that his country will not enter into any alliance to confront Beijing. The statement comes at a time when Harris has embarked on a tour to strengthen a US alliance in the region to counter the influence of an increasingly belligerent China. Pham said Vietnam had always maintained an independent foreign policy.

The remark by the US Vice President was made during a speech made in Singapore on the first leg of a South East Asian tour. Harris' trip is seen as an attempt to reaffirm US commitment to the region, reports the BBC. She also talked about the US pull-out from Afghanistan, where she insisted the the decision was "courageous and right". On China, Harris criticised its claims "to the vast majority of the South China Sea," which she said were based on intimidation and coercion.