Fresh from his rock star welcome in Australia, India’s PM Narendra Modi is getting the full red carpet treatment in the US. Modi’s official state visit is the first for an Indian leader since 2009, and Washington is pulling out all the stops… He’s had a private dinner with President Joe Biden; there’s an address to a joint sitting of Congress; and the grand finale is a White House state dinner. Why all the fuss? Like Australia, the US wants to forge closer ties with India to help keep China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region in check. And remember Biden pulled out of a meeting of The Quad (India, Japan, Australia, US) in Sydney last month, so some extra one-on-one time with Modi is overdue. Note: if you care about culinary diplomacy, the state dinner menu is all vego to cater for Modi, and it includes an entree of marinated millet (it’s a grain), grilled corn kernel salad, and compressed watermelon with a tangy avocado sauce. Tasty tasty…