External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s Crucial visit to the US

After India’s close proximity with Trump administration, critics conjectured if Modi government can pull off the same magic with President Biden. Over the years, Indo-US bilateral relations progressed irrespective of the leadership change at the White House. Defying the sceptics, without losing the focus, India swiftly reacted to Biden’s Presidentship and steered the strategic partnership trail.

Overcoming the initial hesitation, Biden administration, in a huge leap of faith bolstered the Indo-Pacific policy buttressed by President Trump and convened the first ever virtual summit of the Quad leaders. Building on this momentum within the first 100 days of Biden’s regime, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Climate Envoy John Kerry visited India highlighting the key focus arenas of cooperation between the two countries.

Ravaging Wuhan virus posed a formidable hurdle for physical meetings. With situation on ground stabilising, to renew engagement, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar embarked on a five-day visit to America to touch on all the high-points of Indo-US Strategic cooperation. The visit which is the first visit at the highest echelons from India side after Joe Biden’s elections assumes great significance. Coming in the pandemic times, while health cooperation and vaccine diplomacy are the high points of the visit, America’s announcement of complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan also figured in the discussions pertaining to the security of the region.

Owing to America’s tardy response to India’s appeal for help with the export of vaccine raw material, curious doubts have been raised about the veracity of the partnership. But overcoming the initial dilly-dallying, America mobilised help and extended covid assistance to the tune of half a billion. The bipartisan ground swell of support for India has been remarkable.  Ahead of Jaishankar’s visit, House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed a resolution by Congressman Bill Sherman and Steve Chabot, which had 33 co-sponsors and all four Indian American members that urged for private, in-kind medical supplies donations to India and assistance in the form of oxygen concentrators, critical medicines and raw materials for Covishield, vaccine production. This came shortly after America decided to donate 80 million vaccines on the basis of the need.

Taking the health cooperation to global level, US has backed the proposal by India and South Africa for TRIPS waiver at WTO, a major hurdle for large scale covid vaccine production. Health agenda even figured in the Quad summit, where leaders sought to expand global vaccination capacity to produce 1 billion doses at India’s Biological E with American and Japanese funds and Australian logistics.

With Indian government moving heaven and earth to mobilise Covid supplies and pledged to ensure to smooth supply of vaccines, cognizant of attempts by Pfizer and Moderna to enter Indian markets, EAM held wide ranging conversations with US Global Task Force on Pandemic Relief and US India Business Council (UIBC). The discussions focussed on strengthening critical supply chains and collaboration for production of vaccines and therapeutics. UIBC comprising of American CEOs drawn from diverse business sectors has been at the forefront of advancing India-US trade, investment and technology partnership.

America’s timely support in India’s Covid combat added an element of trust and reinforced good will in the strategic partnership. In sharp contrast, the bad press of America media has substantially undermined the genuine bipartisan support towards India. In his conversation with former NSA H R McMaster in Battlegrounds session titled, “India: Opportunities and Challenges for a Strategic Cooperation” EAM defended the government policies amid growing criticism of “Hindutva policies”.

In response to concerns of “Hindutva policies that could be undermining the secular nature of Indian democracy”, EAM clarified, “we define secularism as equal respect for all faiths. Secularism doesn’t mean that you are in denial of your own faith or anybody else’s faith.” Hinting that current government has departed from the vote bank politics, he cited the governance policies where free food is given to 800 million people during the first wave of the pandemic and money is directly transferred to 400 million people to the deserving without any discrimination.

Notwithstanding these governance policies, he added, the present government is judged “politically, harshly and it is often used to create a narrative”. “When you come down to real governance judgements, you find that there is a difference between the political imagery that has been concocted”. “Real politics (is) at play” and “I would certainly see that very much as part of political effort to depict our current government in a certain way”¹.

Stating that Indians are “extremely confident about our democracy” and nobody would trade democracy for any other form of governance, EAM eloquently underscored the plurality of the Indian society and apprised about the current trend of “deepening democracy, a much broader representation in politics and in leadership positions and in civil society of people who are much more confident about their culture, language and beliefs”.

Besides effectively articulating India’s stance pertaining to Indo-Pacific region, the need for a decentralised globalisation with different centres of production, global challenges like climate change, terrorism and pandemics which are not limited by any boundaries. He took an indirect dig at the mendacity of the disinformation propaganda purveyed by the Western media under the pandemic cover. Plummeting to new lows, the Western media resorted to a vulture journalism and made spectacle of India’s tragedy. Western media shapes international perception. With his straight talk and candid response, EAM debunked the false narrative and set things straight.

Strategizing the trajectory of Indo-US partnership, Jaishankar expounded- India and America have fundamental convergences- pluralistic societies, political democracies and market economies. Evincing India’s interest in deepening the partnership he proposed that countries must now translate “convergences into actionable policies”.

Aside, health cooperation, EAM who first landed in New York held a comprehensive meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres running for a second term. India extended support for Guterres candidature, discussed New Delhi’s priorities for its Presidency of UNSC in August, its commitments to Paris Accord and regional challenges in the neighbourhood.

Having set the ground and explicitly envisaging the expectations from this partnership through his conversation, Jaishankar, engaged with the higher echelon of the Biden administration.  Accelerated troop pullback from Afghanistan without unresolved issues has provoked major concerns in the region. Aside the power vacuum created by America’s withdrawal, Pakistan-Taliban tangle in the region and its spill over effects are bound to have direct effects on India.

Besides, last week meeting between NSA’s of Pakistan and America- Moeed Yusuf and Jake Sullivan at Geneva triggered a speculation of a US setting up a base at Shamsie in Balochistan or Jacobobad in Sindh and review of suspended security assistance. Talks of return to old relationship with Pakistan made rounds in the diplomatic circles. Further the reports of movement of lone air craft carrier USS Ronald Regan based in Yokosuka, Japan to Middle East to provide additional air support during the evacuation of troops² has fuelled alarm.

Amid these major geopolitical reconfigurations, Jaishankar exchanged views on a range of regional security challenges with Defense Secretary Llyod Austin and discussed opportunities for deepening cooperation. He conveyed his appreciation of the “US military role in responding to the covid situation”. The issues pertaining to common challenges in Indo-Pacific region, Free, open Indo-Pacific, pandemic cooperation, climate change, featured in Jaishankar’s meeting with NSA Jake Sullivan³.

Along with Covid, another C, China issue covertly crept into Jaishankar’s talks with the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines. US has been providing intelligence support to India and given China’s military activity despite the pandemic, this meeting is a signal to China of deepening Indo-US cooperation. Recognising the role of the bipartisan covid support to India, Jaishankar spoke to Chairman Foreign Affairs committee, Gregory Meeks and Ranking Member Mc Caul. Welcoming US’s positive stance of TRIPS waiver and support for efficient and robust supply chains Jaishankar reviewed Trade, technology and investment ties which are at the core of the Indo-US strategic with US Trade representative Catherine Tai.

In his much-awaited meeting with US secretary Anthony Blinken, Jaishankar thanked US for the support and solidarity at the height of the pandemic and focussed on expanding the Indo-US vaccine partnership aimed at expanding the access and ensuring the supply. Obligated to fulfil domestic vaccine needs, India has temporarily halted supplies to all countries. Capitalising on the rising vaccine demand, China is stepping up stings attached vaccine diplomacy in South Asia. Short on any choice, countries are embracing the questionable efficacy of Chinese vaccine. India is planning to partner with US to help these nations.

Both leaders discussed about Indo-Pacific cooperation, the Quad grouping, Afghanistan, Myanmar coup and Indo-China border issues⁴. Evidently, Indo-US partnership is currently three dimensional- bilateral, regional and global. Given vast expanse of cooperation, Indo-US partnership is bound to shape geopolitical contours. By expressing India’s continued commitment to contribute for global good in his interactions with officials and diplomats, Jaishankar has laid firm foundation for India’s engagement with Biden administration.

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