PM Modi visit to US brings new mantra for India-US ties
India-US ties: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first State visit to the United States has been an instant hit.
Note that this is not a Bollywood movie that we are talking about, but a journey that resounds with a new mantra for India-US ties.
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In the joint statement, both India-US states, "Our cooperation will serve the global good as we work through a range of multilateral and regional groupings - particularly the Quad- to contribute toward a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo- Pacific. No corner of human enterprise is untouched by the partnership between our two great countries, which spans the seas to the stars".
The joint statement included a warning of rising tensions and destabilizing actions in the East and South China Sea and stressed the importance of international law and freedom of navigation. The US may have well sent a gentle reminder to China when they played Lata Mangeshkar's "Ae mere wattan ke logon", at the State dinner.
The winds of change in Indo-US relations are best seen in the Joint Statement wherein both leaders "....strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks." This was certainly not liked by Pakistan. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the US-Indian Joint Statement was "unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading".
The reference to Islamabad in it was "contrary to diplomatic norms," it said. The Dawn (June 24), as did other major English dailies tried to cloak Pakistan's role in fostering militancy and terrorism in India by arguing that, "While Pakistan has had a problem with militancy, the critique would have carried more weight had the Biden administration also brought up India's deplorable treatment of its Muslims, and its long subjugation of Kashmir." The Express Tribune (June 24) alleged that the joint statement showed that "Washington was harping to the tune from India". Most importantly, speaking from the international relations perspective, "India's inking of big-ticket projects... has cemented a decade of neo- World Order in Asia."
Special mention could be made of advancements in defence partnership, space cooperation, and commitment of both nations to harnessing advanced technologies for mutual benefit. The very fact that President Biden accorded a state honour to the Prime Minister indicated the importance the US attaches to the visit. Geo-politically both nations have shown the will and the way to move closer. This bilateral bonhomie is reflected in the manifold sectors in which the US has agreed to link up with India. Defence, semi-conductors and space cooperation are at the forefront of this new cooperative spirit.
The fact is that both India and the US need each other in the new world order. With Russia fighting a lone war in Ukraine, China on its mission to become a world power and others clamouring for a place on the world stage, the US realizes it needs a partner in the Indo-Pacific to whom it can entrust the responsibility of acting as a countervailing force against China. India hesitates to be that force openly. It is therefore important for India to take action in that direction without necessarily bragging about it.
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India and more importantly, Prime Minister Modi realizes that closer interaction with the US is essential if it is to move away from its dependence on Russia for its weapons and other equipment. There is another facet to the current visit which is geo-politically important for both the US and India, though for different reasons. The US expectation is that India will sooner than later overtly support Ukraine in the conflict. Till this happens, the need to use bilateral leverages with India will continue.
- ANI
