External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday will embark on his first visit to the US since Donald Trump won the presidential election earlier this year. This is likely to be the last high-level interaction between India and the outgoing Joe Biden administration. It is not known whether Jaishankar will meet any officials from the Trump administration during his 6-day visit, which begins today. Trump will be sworn in as President of the United States next month.
According to India Today TV sources, Jaishankar will be meeting the Indian Ambassador and all the Consul Generals of India and is likely to tell them about India’s way forward with the upcoming Trump administration.
In an effort to stay ahead of other countries, Jaishankar is likely to direct US-based Indian officials to interact with Trump 2.0 officials to gain an understanding of what they are looking at. According to foreign policy experts, this is a forward-looking visit where Jaishankar will not only try to gauge the sentiments of the outgoing administration but, more importantly, the vision of the Trump administration 2.0.
According to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press note, Jaishankar will be meeting with his counterpart Anthony Blinken and other officials of the Joe Biden administration to discuss important global, regional, strategic and bilateral issues. The talks will be aimed at strengthening the existing India-US relationship.
“Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will visit the United States of America from December 24-29,” the MEA said in a statement, adding that Jaishankar will meet all the US Consul Generals of India during his visit.
India-US relations
The visit comes at a time when India’s relations with the US have been strained by a plot to hunt down Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu on American soil. The Biden administration also appeared to side with Justin Trudeau led by the Canadian government for its allegations about India related to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
However, with Trump taking over the Oval Office in less than a month, Trudeau’s bonhomie with the US may be short-lived, much to India’s liking. Days before taking office, Trump struck a chord by condemning attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and accused Kamala Harris and Joe Biden of “ignoring Hindus around the world”.
Earlier this month, Jaishankar, speaking at an event in Delhi, said that Trump has always had a positive political view of India. He also said that with Donald Trump as President, India is in a better position to build a “deeper” relationship with the US compared to other countries.
Continuity in Change
Political experts do not expect to see major changes in the relations between India and the US under the presidency of Donald Trump. The relationship is likely to follow the same continuity pattern seen during the transition between the administration of Trump 1.0 and President Joe Biden.
Many of the initiatives started under the previous Trump administration, including the Quad, were further expanded and strengthened under Biden, particularly in the areas of technology and defense.
The US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology or iCET was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Biden in 2022 in an effort to strengthen ties in the high-tech sector. With an eye on China, India inked major defense deals with the Biden government, including the purchase of 31 long-range Predator aircraft, 15 Sea Guardian drones and eight Sky Guardian aircraft each for the Indian army and the military.
However, India will be aware of Trump’s stance of imposing uniform tariffs, strict immigration policies and lack of intent when it comes to global environment and green energy policy in the coming days.
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