Wilmington, 22 Sept 

On the sidelines of the Quad Summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden at the latter's residence in Delaware state in the US.

The two leaders discussed several topics, including the MQ-9B Predator drone deal and the setting up of a semiconductor plant in Kolkata.

Biden welcomed the progress towards India concluding the procurement of 31 long-endurance MQ-9B armed drones from American defence major General Atomics as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to boost two-way reciprocal supply of defence hardware amid common concerns over China's growing military might.

Meanwhile, they hailed a watershed arrangement to establish a new semiconductor fabrication plant in Kolkata focused on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics for national security, next generation telecommunications, and green energy applications.

The fab, which will be established with the objective of manufacturing infrared, gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductors, will be enabled by support from the India Semiconductor Mission as well as a strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the US Space Force.

This was a farewell summit for President Biden as he nears the end of his term in office.

Modi said he will be happy to host the Quad Summit in 2025.-PTI