WASHINGTON — United States Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday departed for India as Washington tries to revitalise ties that it sees as a counterbalance to China’s rising power, but rapid progress is unlikely, despite new Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reformist reputation.
Mr Kerry’s visit and a trip by Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel next month follow Mr Modi’s resounding election win in May and are meant to create a good climate for the Prime Minister’s planned visit to Washington in September.
However, analysts said it would only be after Mr Modi has met President Barack Obama that Washington may have a more realistic hope for progress on big defence projects, on removing obstacles to participation of US firms in India’s nuclear power industry and for firmer statements of shared interests in Asia.
In a speech in Washington on Monday, Mr Kerry reiterated Mr Obama’s support for India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, adding: “This is the moment to transform our strategic partnership into a historical partnership that honours our places as great powers and great democracies.”
Four years ago, Mr Obama declared that the relationship between the US and India would be “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century”, and last week, the State Department called it one of “enormous strategic importance”. But while the two countries are, in many ways, natural allies as big democracies with shared concerns about Islamist militancy and the rise of China, the relationship falls far short of Mr Obama’s rhetorical billing.
Disputes over protectionism and intellectual property rights have soured the business climate and India has remained cautious about committing to American strategic designs, given concerns that US power, eroded by domestic budget battles, may be waning. Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has also tended to oppose Western dominance of world affairs.
Mr Kerry will be heading the US team tomorrow at the annual Strategic Dialogue with India and will be accompanied by US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. REUTERS
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