India's Modi talks space and 'good governance' with Musk in Washington

(Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday in Washington where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation, Modi said on X.

"Their discussion also touched on opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance," India's foreign ministry said separately in a statement.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Modi was slated to meet Musk, CEO and founder of SpaceX, during his trip this week to the United States, and Starlink's entry in the South Asian market could come up for discussion.

SpaceX's Starlink has long wanted to launch in India and has in recent months clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's company over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services. India's government has sided with Musk that spectrum should be assigned and not auctioned, but Starlink's license application is still under review.

India's looming decision on U.S.-based Starlink has shaken the country's domestic satellite internet sector and made its regulatory strategy on space-based communications a key issue in the country's push to stimulate commercial space activities and become a competitive force in the global space race.

Musk, a "special government employee" helming a disruptive effort to rid federal agencies of excessive spending, often serves as a key link between heads of state and SpaceX, which has dominated the global space industry with its vast Starlink network and its Falcon 9 launches that much of the Western world uses for space access.

Big decisions on technology and space matters have followed state visits by Modi in the past. India in 2023 signed the U.S. Artemis Accords - a set of guidelines for modern space and moon activities - following meetings in Washington between Modi and former U.S. president Joe Biden.

Modi is also expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump during his two-day U.S. visit, with discussions on trade and tariff concessions expected to be high on the agenda. He is, however, unlikely to meet other business CEOs during the trip, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Musk's meeting with Modi drew the ire of some Democrats who say the billionaire executive's influential role in the Trump administration poses conflicts of interest.

"Musk is effectively operating as the Secretary of State, and he is meeting with a key foreign leader not to ask for concessions that would benefit Americans, but for concessions that would make him rich," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said of Musk's Modi talks in a post on X.

Given Musk's many powerful roles, it was unclear in what capacity he held his meeting with Modi.

"I would imagine he met possibly, because you know he's running a company," Trump told reporters on Thursday.

Asked if Modi was meeting with Musk as a CEO or a representative of the U.S. government, Trump said: "Well, he's meeting with me in a little while, so I'm going to ask him that question."

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru and Joey Roulette in Washington; Editing by Toby Chopra and Daniel Wallis)