WASHINGTON: A top White House official said that India will not be an ally of the United States, but rather another great power, and that no other bilateral relationship has “deepened and strengthened” more rapidly than the one between the two countries over the last two decades.
Kurt Campbell, the White House Asia coordinator, said in response to a question about India during his appearance at the Aspen Security Forum meeting here that India is the most important bilateral relationship for the United States in the twenty-first century.
India Has a Strategic Character
He believes that the United States should invest even more in its capacity, as well as strengthen people-to-people ties and collaborate on technology and other issues.
“India has a unique strategic character. It will not be an ally of the United States. It has a desire to be an independent, powerful state and it will be another great power. But I think there are reasons to believe that our strategic alignment is growing across the board in almost every arena,” Campbell said.
What India and The US Can Do Together
He noted that there are barriers in both bureaucracies, as well as numerous challenges. “But I do believe that this is a relationship that should have some ambition. We should look at things that we can do together, whether it’s in space, whether it’s education, whether it’s on climate, whether it’s on technology, and really move in that direction,” he said.
India-US Relationship is Not Based Solely on Anxiety of China
“If you look over the last 20 years and look at the hurdles that have been surmounted and the depth of engagement between our two sides, it’s remarkable,” he said.
He claimed that the India-US relationship is not based solely on anxiety of China. “It is a deeper understanding of the importance of the synergies between our societies,” he said, adding that the Indian diaspora in the United States is a strong link.
When President Joe Biden and his administration decided to elevate the Quad to the leader level, Campbell acknowledged that Indians had mixed feelings. “There were probably voices in their bureaucracy that were against it. But when President Biden made the direct appeal repeatedly to Prime Minister Modi, they decided that this was in their interests,” he said.
According to a White House official, the US is working very constructively with its Indian partners on a major set of initiatives in COVID-19 vaccine delivery, maritime domain awareness, and education.
