WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has made it a mission for the US to build friendships overseas — and the next few weeks will offer a vivid demonstration of the importance he’s placing on a relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to AP.
The two are both scheduled to attend this week’s Group of Seven summit in Japan, a subsequent gathering of Pacific island leaders in Papua New Guinea, and a later meeting of Indo-Pacific leaders in Australia. Those travels will be followed by a June 22 state visit by Modi to Washington, a sign that both seem willing to deepen their bonds.
The personal outreach has a clear strategic calculus as both countries respond to China’s economic rise and increased global prominence. Yet while Biden champions democratic ideals and openly opposes Russia operation in Ukraine, Modi has offered tepid criticism of Russia and opponents say he is eroding India’s democratic traditions.
That means the future of the alliance depends on a degree of patience.
“It’s a long game of steady forward movement in defense relations and some fairly rapid intensification of business ties — with the pace of both determined by the speed of movement on the Indian side,” said Kurt Tong, a former ambassador for the US who is now managing partner of The Asia Group, a consultancy.
Biden last year publicly called India’s response to the war in Ukraine “shaky.” India abstained from voting on UN resolutions condemning Russia and refused to join the global coalition against Russia. Modi had a relatively warm relationship with Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, and has made some efforts to forge a connection with Biden, who is known to focus on his Irish roots even when meeting with leaders of other nations.
When Modi came to Washington in September 2021, he brought with him documents about people with the last name “Biden” in India.
“Are we related?” Biden asked.
“Yes,” Modi joked.
While visiting Canada in March, Biden said he’s made it a strategic goal to improve relations with the rest of the world as he feels that America’s leverage against China and Russia is through its alliances.
“I have now met with 80 per cent of the world leaders just since I’ve been president,” he said. “We’re the ones expanding the alliances. The opposition is not.”
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a biographer of Modi, said the Indian leader’s connection with Biden is not personal — and has its limits. But it is necessary for the US to keep India on its side as tensions with China have accelerated over Taiwan, the federal government’s ban on exporting advanced computer chips to China and human rights issues.
“To what extent can India be part of the US-led alliance, that is for Modi to decide,” Mukhopadhyay said. “At some point or the other, the Americans would realise that Modi is not really going the whole hog as much as they would like India to be. But Modi will not get swayed by meeting Biden several times.”
Nirupama Rao, a retired diplomat who served as Indian ambassador to the US, said India has its reasons for not joining the condemnation of Moscow.
“The country wants Russia to maintain some distance from China, and it worries that isolating Moscow would just push it closer to Beijing,” she said. Relations between India and China are strained, with the two sides embroiled in an intense three-year standoff involving thousands of soldiers stationed along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region.
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