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Modi in the US: India, linking East, West (and the global South)
India’s prime minister will be in New York and Washington from 21 to 24 June, a visit described as “historic” by US officials. In fact, Delhi has nurtured this relationship for some time, favoured by the presence of a large Indian diaspora in the US. Its aim goes beyond containing China. Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, talked to AsiaNews about it.
Milan (AsiaNews) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the United States from 21 to 24 June. In New York, he will lead the International Yoga Day at the United Nations, while in Washington, DC, he will hold bilateral meetings with Joe Biden, address the US Congress, and meet with the Indian diaspora.
A few days ago, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the visit "historic", while President Biden praised it as the "defining relationship" of the 21st century. It would, however, be wrong to think that the India-US relations are limited to standing up to China in the Indo-Pacific.
Washington and Delhi have nurtured the relationship for at least 25 years. Since he came to power nine years ago, Modi sees it as part of a “renewed focus on expanding India's global engagement,” said Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York, speaking to AsiaNews.
“Since 2014,” Aamer explains, “we witnessed a significant transformation in terms of deepening strategic partnership and enhanced cooperation across various sectors,” such as defence vis-à-vis China, and more.
For India, the “US is its topmost trading partner,” she adds. “Bilateral trade has really expanded and grown,” but the two countries are also cooperating in security matters, “whether it's counterterrorism or homeland security” as well as “Climate change and clean energy”. The latter “have also given a boost to this relationship, including the recent launch of the US-India climate and clean energy 2030 partnerships.”
But “people-to-people exchanges have also grown” and “tourism has increased in general,” as well, and India’s “diaspora has a very important role to play.”
“I think we live in a world where people to people connectivity is very important,” Aamer explains. “The Indian” and “ South Asian diaspora in the United States is very instrumental to the success of the private and public sectors.”
In the tech industry, “many great names and leading CEOs are of Indian origin. Even the World Bank president is of Indian origin.” They “are really at the front and centre of how the US and India relationship is progressing through soft diplomacy.”
“Of course, the strategic alignment in the Indo-Pacific is important for both India and the United States.” Both countries “share a vision of an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region” and this “has led to closer coordination on regional security issues focused on regional connectivity, infrastructure development, and maritime security”.
India has also joined some key cooperation frameworks with the United States and its historic partners, like the “12U2 with the UAE and Israel” and the “meeting between the national security advisors of the United States, Saudi Arabia and India.”
Some observers have described this as "minilateral" cooperation. The I2U2 group includes India, the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (their first joint statement was made in the summer of 2022). Another example of this form of cooperation is the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (more commonly known as the Quad), which includes Japan and Australia in addition to India and the United States.
For Aamer, “There's an ongoing sense of trying to work together, to cooperate as much as possible. And there's certainly more willingness to work out differences at both ends.”
“It is also important to understand and note that India's foreign policy is always going to be driven by its national interests and the future trajectory of India-US relations will depend on various factors, including leadership changes and domestic priorities and whatnot.”
This said, “the US-India partnership has shown resilience and is on an upward trajectory in recent and coming years as well.”
India's general election will be held in less than a year and Prime Minister Modi continues to enjoy tremendous popularity among Indian voters.
“India believes that being strategically autonomous is where it stands in its foreign policy,” so as to avoid “divisive politics”. India “wants to be strategically autonomous”.
“While it has its own border concerns, India will play this field very pragmatically rather than openly oppose China, unless it hurts India's own national interest”. After all, while “the US is India’s topmost trading partner, China is the second”.
Above all, “India is keen to build its own capabilities and capacities so it can reduce its own reliance on China and become the go-to country that offers a competitive alternative market.”
To this end, Washington is willing to work around the relations between Delhi and Moscow, for now.
For India, the goal is also “to stay in the picture and avoid the China-Russia relationship from becoming too strong”, especially now that it “the most populous country in the world and has a rapidly growing economy.”
When it buys Russian “crude at deep discounts, it can refine that same oil and then export it to the US and Europe. So the West gets to benefit from Russian oil without directly getting involved.”
Overall, India has become an important link between East and West. “The G-20 presidency has provided India with the leverage and platform to become the voice of the global South as well.”
For Prime Minister Modi, “stronger bilateral relations that India has with the best (countries), including the United States, will have positive spillovers for the rest of the global South,” Aamer noted.
After the United States, France will also host Prime Minister Modi in July. “When you're a rising economy like India, the world wants to work with you and benefit from you.”
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