United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in India on Wednesday to meet Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. It is Blinken’s first trip to India since being appointed to the Biden administration in January.
According to the Indian External Affairs Ministry press release, the American leader was invited by PM Modi to deepen the “strategic relations” between the two countries in several sectors, including maritime security, defence, and science and technology. During the meeting, PM Modi celebrated the role played by US President Joe Biden in strengthening the Quad and combating COVID-19 and climate change. He envisioned a flourishing India-US partnership that would be of “even greater global significance in the coming years, in the context of the challenges posed by COVID-19, global economic recovery and climate change.” In response, Blinken “appreciated the increasing convergence between India and the US on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues, and the commitment of both strategic partners to convert this convergence into concrete and practical cooperation.”
In his meeting with Jaishankar, Blinken spoke of the ongoing Afghan conflict and the need for bilateral cooperation on the issue. During a joint press conference with the Indian minister, he said India and the US have a strong interest in a “peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan.” Blinken added, “As a leader and critical partner in the region, India has made and will continue to make vital contributions to Afghanistan’s stability and development. We’ll continue to work together to sustain the gains of the Afghan people and regional stability after the withdrawal of coalition forces from the country.”
Additionally, Blinken reiterated the US’ commitment to continue assisting the Afghan government to combat Taliban-led violent attacks in the country even after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. “We are very much engaged in the diplomacy of working to bring the parties together at the table for a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he added. He also warned of Afghanistan turning into a “pariah state” if the violence continues. Similar sentiments were echoed by Jaishankar, who stressed the need to “collectively work” to end the Afghan conflict. He said the focus must be to ensure that the country neither becomes a “home to terrorism” nor a “resource of refugees.” Furthermore, the duo discussed vaccine cooperation through Quad’s initiative to provide one billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to countries across South-East Asia by the end of 2022. This initiative is a veiled attempt to counter China, which has stepped in and assisted the region’s countries with their vaccine demands.
Unsurprisingly, the visit wasn’t without controversy. In a move that is likely to irk China, on the first day of his visit, Blinken met Ngodup Dongchung, a representative of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama who represents the Tibetan government in exile. He also addressed a group of civil society leaders, including religious leaders such as Geshe Dorji Damdul from the Tibet House, an Indian cultural centre of the Dalai Lama.
The Hindu reported that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian sharply criticised Blinken’s visit, saying: “There are various ways to achieve democracy rather than a fixed formula or a standard answer. One-man, one-vote and a multi-party system is not the sole form of democracy. Democracy should not be used as a label or tool to belittle or smear other countries or stoke confrontations. Which country is a democracy and which an autocracy should not be determined by a very small number of countries. Debasing others while elevating oneself in itself is not democratic at all.”
While this is Blinken’s first visit to India, he and Jaishankar have already met thrice. The duo last met during Jaishankar’s trip to the US in May. At that time, too, they discussed several issues of mutual importance, including vaccine and COVID-19 cooperation, strengthening the Quad alliance to promote a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, enhancing cooperation on the Afghan conflict, and working together to fight against climate change.
For the US, India is a critical counterweight to China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. India and the US have bolstered their cooperation over the past few years, specifically in defence and security through the Quad alliance. Blinken’s meeting with Jaishankar and Modi is also critical as it shortly precedes the Quad meeting in Australia scheduled for October.