U.S. Vice President Joe Biden Arrives In India

New Delhi: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in India Monday on a four-day visit, the second high-level visit by the U.S. in a month aimed at keeping up the momentum in bilateral ties.

Biden, who is accompanied by his wife Jill, was received by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai as his aircraft landed at the Indian Air Force station, Palam.

The visit by the U.S. vice president, his first since his swearing-in, is expected to lay the groundwork for the visit in September by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the U.S. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had visited India June 23-25.

Enhanced economic cooperation, defence, energy, nuclear and regional issues are expected to be on the table when Biden meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for talks. There will be no delegation-level talks.

Ahead of the visit, the White House held an extensive background teleconference announcing the visit on July 19.

"I think you can expect the vice president to set out an ambitious vision for the U.S.-India relationship, looking not just at the months ahead or the years ahead, but the decades ahead. And in particular, I think he will highlight all of the areas of potential - the economic potential of our relationship," a White House official said.