New Delhi: The broad contours of upward trajectory in ties between India and the US under Joe Biden’s presidency will not see any change given the increasing bilateral strategic convergence of interests including in the Indo-Pacific region in view of the challenge posed by China, foreign policy experts said on Sunday.
Though the ties between the two democracies will continue to grow, there is a definite possibility of a change in nuance in handling key issues by Biden as he is expected to be less unilateralist on trade and more moderate on immigration and visas, they said.
Incoming Vice-President Kamala Harris’ Indian roots are also likely to act as a positive factor in the overall momentum in the ties, the experts said.
Former Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar said the handling of China and sustaining a balance in Asia will be, perhaps, the most important international challenge for Biden, and countries like India will play an important role in this. “I think the upward trajectory of our strategic relations will continue. There is a bipartisan consensus in the US to have a strong relationship with India, whether it is a Republican or a Democratic administration,” Shankar told PTI.
“And it will be the same under Biden presidency because what is driving India-US relations is the growing strategic convergence in the Indo Pacific, particularly the challenge posed by China which is becoming increasingly assertive and even aggressive as we have seen on our border with Ladakh, in the South China Sea and the East China Sea,” she said.
Talking about various dimensions of the ties, Shankar, who was Indian envoy to the US from 2009 to 2011, said it is possible Biden may place more emphasis on human rights and democratic freedoms.
“We must learn to be nimble enough domestically so that we are not open to criticism over what we are doing in Kashmir. After all the government itself has said that they are willing to consider restoring statehood for J-K if the situation improves,” she said.
Ambassador (retd) Rakesh Sood, who was Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, said India-US relations have enjoyed bipartisan support both in Washington and Delhi but added that there could be some change in focus under the Biden administration. “As a long-standing Senator and as Vice President, President-elect Joe Biden has played a role in shaping the positive trajectory of the relationship.
“At different moments during the three decades, different issues have gained prominence. So there will be some changes in focus but I am confident that the positive momentum will be maintained,” he said. (PTI)
