The United States will be supporting India’s rise and its regional leadership as part of the administration’s strategic vision for the region. The US believes this will shape the trajectory of the 21st Century.
The United States will be supporting India’s continued rise and regional leadership as part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy to strongly place the US in the region that is currently facing China’s harmful behaviour, as per the announcement made by Joe Biden’s administration, on Friday.
The Indo-Pacific Strategy of the US document states that the American interests could only be advanced if they firmly anchor Washington in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthen the region alongside their closest allies and partners. It is of the view that the prosperity of everyday Americans is linked to the Indo-Pacific region. The Document has added that the escalating focus on the region was due to the challenges posed by China.
It stated that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been combining its diplomatic, economic, military, and technological might as it has been pursuing strong influence in the Indo-Pacific region. China seeks to become the most influential power in the world eventually. China’s aggression and coercion have been spanning the world but it is most acutely present in the Indo-pacific region.
The strategic document said that from the economic coercion of Australia to the ongoing conflict along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) with India to the increasing pressure on Taiwan and bullying of its neighbours in the Eastern and Southern China Seas, the allies and partners of the US have been bearing much of the cost of the harmful behaviour of China.
On the questions of how the US will be backing India, it said that they will continue to build a strategic partnership in which both India and the United States of America will be working together and will be promoting stability in South Asia through regional groupings as well. Both countries will be collaborating in new domains including health, space, and cyberspace and will be working towards deepening their economic and technological cooperation to contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The document stated that the US recognises India as a like-minded partner and leader in South Asia and the Indian Ocean that is active and connected to Southeast Asia, as a driving force of the Quad, and as an engine for regional growth and development. The Quad is an axis that is formed by the United States of America, Australia, Japan, and India.
A senior US administration official acknowledged India’s role in the Quad, while briefing journalists on the new strategic document, and said that India is in a very different place as compared to other members of the regions. The official also said that India faces very significant challenges and that China’s behaviour in the LAC has had startling effects on the nation. He finished off by saying that the US sees tremendous opportunities in working with another democracy.
