Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with U.S. President Barack Obama and other key U.S. government officials over dinner at the White House on Monday before formal talks take place in the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss a World Trade Organization (WTO) pact among other issues.

Although Modi is currently fasting, he still graced the dinner invitation. His presence was dubbed as a challenge to key officials to maintain extreme diplomacy all throughout the dinner.

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Modi's U.S. visit will focus on the WTO pact. The White House, in turn, will attempt to change the Indian prime minister's stance to block the said pact.

The WTO plans to streamline and update its customes procedures aimed to boost world commerce and trade.

Modi said he is in favor of unconstrained trade provided it would not sideline India's capacity to feed her people living below the poverty line. The Indian prime minister also reiterated that his priority is to protect India's emerging middle class.

In the formal talks at the Oval Office, Modi and Obama will talk about the excessive bureaucracy that characterizes Indian governance. For years, the country's bureaucracy has slowed economic opportunities.

Aside from the dinner with the White House key officials, Modi also had breakfast with the top New York CEOs early Monday. He noted during breakfast that he wants to change the economic status of India and pressed his country's economic potential saying he is open-minded.

The Prime Minister also talked at the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday noting that there is no need for negotiations regarding the Indian-Chine Border Dispute.

Last week, Modi was also welcomed by throngs of Indian people settling in the U.S. He spoke at the Madison Square Garden sports arena where he talked about the issues discussed during the United Nations General Assembly.

He said that his visit to the U.S. was overwhelming especially with the warm welcome the Indian gave him.

Modi added that he was grateful to New York City as well as to the United States in general.

Modi had a landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party during the elections in India last May.

TagsPrime Minister Narendra Modi, New Delhi, United States President Barack Obama, formal talks, red tape