US lawmakers discuss trade, defence and Indo-Pacific ties with India group

Nine US lawmakers held talks with an Indian American advocacy group on strengthening Washington-New Delhi ties, discussing trade, defence, China, the Quad and Indo-Pacific security. The meetings also covered supply-chain resilience, maritime security, space cooperation and diaspora engagement

Washington: Trade, defence, China and Indo-Pacific security figured in a series of meetings between nine US lawmakers and an Indian American advocacy group seeking deeper strategic ties between Washington and New Delhi.

The United States India Relationship Council, or USIRC, said Thursday that its delegation met Democratic and Republican members of Congress during two days of meetings on Capitol Hill.

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The discussions on August 31 and September 1 covered trade, defence, the Quad, the Indo-Pacific and what the organisation described as threats from the Chinese Communist Party.

Supply-chain resilience, maritime security and cooperation in space were also discussed, according to USIRC.

The lawmakers were Representatives Jonathan Jackson and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois; Rich McCormick of Georgia; Young Kim, Derek Tran, Scott Peters, Jimmy Panetta and Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California; and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia.

USIRC is a registered political action committee that advocates stronger US-India relations and supports candidates it considers committed to the bilateral partnership.

The organisation said it is concentrating its advocacy on lawmakers who serve, or are likely to serve, on congressional committees dealing with foreign affairs.

McCormick, a Georgia Republican, offered some of the strongest comments on the relationship during the meetings, according to USIRC.

He described the prospect of the world’s largest economy working with a country expected to become the world’s third-largest economy as “very exciting and full of potential.”

McCormick said the US-India relationship was the “top most priority” when viewed in the context of the world’s future, according to the group’s account.

He also said Washington and New Delhi should ensure that the two countries are “not just friends, but allies into the future.”

USIRC said Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, was “very forthright about his commitment to the US India relationship.”

The organisation described Kim, a California Republican, as a longtime supporter of stronger relations with India.

Subramanyam, an Indian American Democrat from Virginia, urged greater political participation with the message: “Get involved, Stay involved,” according to the release.

USIRC said Tran expressed a commitment to building the relationship “for years to come,” while Peters expressed support for stronger bilateral ties.

Panetta discussed opportunities for mutual growth in several areas, the organisation said.

Kamlager-Dove, who serves as the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee covering South and Central Asia, stressed the importance of engaging the diaspora in strengthening bilateral relations, according to USIRC.

The organisation said its meetings produced broad agreement on the importance of the Indo-Pacific and the need for Washington and New Delhi to deepen cooperation.

USIRC listed among what it called “points of consensus” that threats from the Chinese Communist Party should be addressed “collectively and cohesively” and that the United States and India are “natural allies.”

USIRC said differences between the United States and India should be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy while the two countries continue expanding cooperation in strategic areas.