By all indications, the meeting between • Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald trump exceeded expectation. The “visible personal chemistry ” was on display, with the two leaders exchanging three hugs and several handshakes through the course of the day. However, the joint statement of 2017 continues previous references to “a growing strategic convergence” bolstered by military, maritime and intelligence cooperation. In addition, while India has yet to commit to buying Predator drones, a sale of 22 Guardian drones was cleared by the US cabinet. While cooperation on energy is highlighted in the joint statement, it was to be expected that the US commitment to helping India battle climate change would be dropped from all references, given Trump’s harsh observations when he pulled out of the Paris accord. The US continues to remove barriers for India to energy development and investment in the US and barriers to US energy exports so • that more natural gas, clean coal, and renewable resources and technologies are available to fuel India’s economic growth. What can we conclude from the prime minister’s visit? First, it comes six months into Trump’s presidency, after the president has met the leaders of virtually all his key partners and interlocutors in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This tardiness in meeting Modi suggests that India is not particularly high on Trump’s to-do list. Second, Trump is unwilling to & alienate China beyond a point. In 2014 and 2015, with Obama in the White House, India and the US committed to a strategic partnership in the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean. The Modi–Trump joint statement of 2017 has visibly softened % those commitments. That Trump must be careful not to alienate China is realistic given Beijing’s importance for America’s economic health and its policies towards North Korea. ?