The Indian prime minister will visit New York and Washington from June 21-24. A visit that the same US officials have described as “historic”. In fact, Delhi has been cultivating this relationship for some time, which not only has an anti-China function but is also favored by the Indian diaspora in the United States. The expert Farwa Aamer, director for South Asia at the Asia Society Policy Institute, spoke about this issue with .
Milan () – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the United States from June 21 to 24. Upon his arrival in New York, he will preside over the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations, and later in Washington DC he will hold bilateral meetings with Joe Biden, speak before the United States Congress and meet with the Indian diaspora. A few days ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken described this visit as “historic” and President Biden, for his part, affirmed that it was a “determining relationship” of the 21st century.
But it would be a mistake to think that India-US relations are solely aimed at dealing with China in the Indo-Pacific. Relations between Washington and Delhi have been cultivated for more than 25 years but Modi, since coming to power in 2014, has raised it as part of “a renewed focus on expanding India’s global engagement”, Farwa told . Aamer, director for South Asia at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “Since 2014 we have witnessed a significant transformation in terms of deepening the strategic partnership in various sectors.” Sectors that include, first of all, anti-Chinese defense, but not only that. “Today, the United States is India’s first trading partner,” the expert continues, “indeed, bilateral trade has expanded, but India and the United States have also deepened collaboration on issues of internal security and the fight against Terrorism Climate change and clean energy have also given impetus to these relationships, as evidenced by the recent launch of the US-India Strategic Partnership on Climate and Clean Energy 2030. People-to-people exchanges have also grown and tourism, and in all these aspects the Indian diaspora in the United States has played a very important role”.
“People-to-people relationships are very important and not only the Indian diaspora but also the South Asian diaspora now hold many senior positions in both the public and private sectors. Many work as CEOs of technology companies and even the president of the World Bank is of Indian origin. All of these people are on the front lines of building US-India relations which, in their own way, have formed a soft diplomacy.”
Undoubtedly, “strategic alignment in the Indo-Pacific area is important” for the two countries, and both Delhi and Washington “share the vision of an open and inclusive region, which has led to closer coordination on maritime security issues. and infrastructure development,” stresses Aamer.
But India has also become part of a series of cooperation contexts that are essential for the United States and its historical partners “be it I2U2 with the participation of the United Arab Emirates and Israel, or a joint meeting of advisers from National Security of the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India”, specifies the expert. These are contexts that some commentators have defined as “minilateral” cooperation. India and the United States are part of the I2U2 group with Israel and the Emirates – whose first joint declaration was made last summer – and of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (better known as Quad), together with Japan and Australia.
“There is a constant spirit of trying to work together, of cooperating as much as possible, and there is certainly more willingness to resolve differences on both sides,” continues Farwa Aamer. “It is also important to note that India’s foreign policy will always be guided by its national interests and the future trajectory of India-US relations will depend on various factors such as leadership changes, domestic priorities , etc. Nonetheless, the US-India partnership has shown some resilience and is on an upward trajectory for years to come.” The general elections in India will take place in less than a year and Prime Minister Modi continues to enjoy great popularity among Indian citizens.
“India considers that the starting point of its foreign policy is strategic autonomy. It avoids divisive politics and wants to be strategically autonomous. So even though he has his own border concerns, he is very pragmatic instead of openly confronting China. It must be remembered that if the United States is the first trading partner, China is the second. Delhi wants to develop its own capabilities and skills to reduce its dependence on Beijing – in this its interests coincide with the United States – and aspires to become the reference country for an alternative and competitive market.”
That is why Washington is ready to turn a blind eye to relations between Delhi and Moscow. “On the one hand, India wants to avoid a closer relationship between China and Russia. On the other hand, being the most populous country in the world, it needs energy to sustain its growth. But this also works in favor of the US and Europe: by not adhering to international sanctions, India can buy Russian crude at cut prices, refine it and sell it to the West, which in turn can benefit without being directly involved.”
In this sense India has become an important link between East and West: “But not only that -says Aamer- the presidency of the G20 has given India an additional boost to be the voice of the global South and, therefore, Therefore, in Modi’s vision, any improvement in the relationship with the world’s greats, such as the United States precisely, will have positive effects on the rest of the developing countries.
After the United States, Prime Minister Modi will also be received by France in July: “When an economy is on the rise, like India’s, the world wants to benefit from it,” says the expert.
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