NEW DELHI—Amid growing antagonism toward China’s communist regime, the Indian leader’s recent trip to the United States was considered a landmark geopolitical event by some observers.
However, the strengthening bilateral relations between the United States and India are dynamic and complicated, and China isn’t the only factor determining it, according to experts.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States highlighted his leadership, the U.S.-India strategic partnership, and business deals between both nations.
Experts told The Epoch Times that the underlying thread to the evolved bilateral ties is shared values and shared threats, while domestic politics has also played a role in shaping the bonhomie between Modi and U.S. leaders, whether it’s President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump.
“The U.S.-India relationship is, to a large extent, built on the foundation of shared values and threats,” Akhil Ramesh, a senior resident fellow at the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum, told The Epoch Times in an email. “The relationship is often criticized for not growing at expected rates but looking at the relationship in a silo, trade, and defense ties have grown exponentially over the last two decades.”
Ramesh believes India is a powerful regional balancer for the United States in the Indian Ocean with certain unique factors not offered by any partner before.
“The recurring criticism of American allies in Europe and East Asia is their reliance on the U.S. to protect their own sovereign territories. India is the exact opposite, and for many defense and strategic experts (particularly in the realism and restraint community) who do not want to lift the burden of foreign nations, India is a dream come true,” said Ramesh.
India prefers no U.S. presence on its shores, according to Ramesh, while the United States offers India the technology and capital so it could become part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“And more importantly, the [United States offers] advanced and critical technology required to defend itself against Chinese aggression,” said Ramesh.
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