In a press conference on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington has “deepened” its partnership with New Delhi, claiming that the Quad grouping has helped increase the US’ cooperation with India, Japan, and Australia.
In 2017, the US, Japan, India, and Australia formed the Quad as a response to China’s aggressive actions in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region.
Blinken’s Remarks
“We’ve deepened our partnership with India. We’ve elevated cooperation through the Quad with India, Japan, Australia,” Blinken said during the press conference.
“The US is more closely aligned, more closely aligned than ever, with the G7, with the EU, with other allies and partners on the challenges presented by Beijing. And we’re working together to address them,” he added.
Blinken also mentioned US partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, noting, “Our Indo-Pacific partnerships have never been stronger.”
“We’re working with the UK and Australia to produce nuclear-powered submarines. We launched new comprehensive strategic partnerships with Vietnam and Indonesia, a new Defence Cooperation Agreement with the Philippines, new trilateral initiatives with the Philippines and Japan, [and] new embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga,” he explained.
The Secretary expressed his belief that such partnerships contribute to deeper cooperation and coordination among NATO and Indo-Pacific allies, and more effectively address areas of concern, such as “China’s coercive trade and economic practices, peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas, and human rights.”
#WATCH | US State Secretary Antony Blinken says, "We've deepened our partnership with India. We've elevated cooperation through the Quad with India, Japan, and Australia." pic.twitter.com/J1OY0Vdl5m
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2023
US-India Relations
Recently, in an interview with the UK-based Financial Times, Indian PM Narendra Modi stated, “Today, the India-US relationship is broader in engagement, deeper in understanding, and warmer in friendship than ever before.”
Modi made his first State Visit to the US in June, at President Joe Biden’s invitation. In addition to a bilateral discussion with Biden, the Indian PM addressed a Joint Session of the US Congress.
In September, Biden visited New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit. Biden and Modi co-hosted a G20 event to boost investments in high-quality infrastructure projects and the development of an economic corridor through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Connectivity Corridor (IMEC).
Further, the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was completed in May 2023, aims to accelerate technology cooperation and co-production in areas of mutual interest.
In June 2023, the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS X) — a network of universities, incubators, corporations, think tanks, and private investment partners — was formed.
In August, India and the US inaugurated the Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) to facilitate lab-to-lab collaboration, pilot projects, testing of new technologies, and capacity development.
The US is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade in products and services crossing $191 billion in 2022. Specifically, bilateral product trade reached $133 billion in 2022, with services trade reaching roughly $58 billion.