NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday opened his first meetings with India’s right-wing government as he seeks to reboot a relationship seen as a bulwark against a rising China.

Kerry’s visit to New Delhi comes after an unusually large number of disputes between the world’s largest democracies, including charges of US surveillance against Indian politicians and a trade rift that could scuttle a global customs deal.

The top US diplomat met Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, a key player in the new government, as part of an annual dialogue which was meant to be held in Washington but was shifted in light of the political transition in Delhi.

Kerry will meet on Friday Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who was shunned by Washington until not long before his sweeping election victory in May.

Taking a break from intense Middle East diplomacy that has dominated his tenure, Kerry highlighted other issues close to his heart including the environment. He toured the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and spoke to students who are trying to make plastic biodegradable.

“It’s very exciting. I wish you well with that. It would be a huge contribution to the world,” he said.

The United States and India, at odds during the Cold War, began to reconcile in the late 1990s with leaders describing the world’s two largest democracies as natural allies.

The two ethnically diverse countries are targets of Islamist extremists, and have both been wary about the rapid ascent of China, which has a long-running border dispute with India.

But Indian perceptions that the United States is insensitive to its concerns broke into the open in December, when US authorities arrested an Indian diplomat for allegedly mistreating her servant.

Kerry is paying his first visit to India since the episode, which led New Delhi to take retaliatory action against US diplomats.

More recently, India thre­atened to block a global pact to streamline customs procedures before Thursday’s ratification deadline unless the World Trade Organisation (WTO) approves its stockpiling of food for the poor. Rich nations say the policy distorts global trade.

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who is accompanying Kerry, said the United States was “very disappointed” at India’s stance, but was hopeful of a deal to salvage the WTO deal.

“I am hopeful that between now and the end of the month, we will find a way forward which is mutually beneficial,” she said in an interview with Thursday’s edition of The Times of India.

Pritzker said the US wanted to strengthen energy ties, including nuclear and was hopeful of resolving a key stumbling block of liability in the event of a nuclear accident on Indian soil. “There’s certainly a desire by American businesses to work not just with the Indian government but Indian businesses to see that there’s a greater energy capacity here in India,” she said.

She emphasised the common ground between the two countries, saying there was “great opportunity in this partnership”.

However, allegations that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party had been the target of surveillance operations by the US National Security Agency while it was in opposition have added to the sense of grievance on the Indian side.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that she told Kerry and his aides that Indians were “angry” about the alleged spying. “I also told them that if we consider each other friendly countries, it is unacceptable that a friendly country spies on other friendly nations,” she told a joint news conference.

Kerry told reporters that he could not comment about specific allegations but he insisted that US President Barack Obama had made “unprecedented” efforts to ensure better oversight of intelligence.

India is among the nations most concerned by the US withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan planned this year.

Modi has vowed a tough line against Islamist extremism, although he has shown pragmatism since taking office and reached out to Pakistan.

The United States in 2005 refused a visa to Modi over allegations that he turned a blind eye to anti-Muslim violence as leader of the state of Gujarat.

Washington abruptly reversed course as Modi rose to power, with President Barack Obama inviting him to the White House in September.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2014