WASHINGTON: As US President Joe Biden landed in New Delhi on Friday, a Washington think-tank — the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) — warned that a formal alliance between the two nations remained off the table.

“I do not think India and the United States are headed for a traditional alliance relationship,” CFR’s Alyssa Ayres told CNBC news on Friday. “India is keen to make sure it protects its ability to make its own decisions on every kind of question.”

Biden will attend a G20 summit in India before flying out to Vietnam on Sunday.

The New York Times, however, reported that the US president would try to “fill a hole” left by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping’s absence. The two leaders have opted out of the G20 summit, forcing Biden to publicly regret at least the Chinese leader’s absence.

President “hopes to get others to align with him on a variety of matters, including Ukraine and curbing Beijing’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific,” NYT added.

CNN reported that President Biden was trying to “fully embrace India as one of the most critical partnerships for the US in the 21st century and a key regional ally to counter China.” But the report also noted that the Biden White House “still harbours deep concerns about (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s record on human rights and what many view as democratic backsliding in India.”

CNN also reported that while Biden was flying to New Delhi, “officials aboard Air Force One said India had rebuffed US requests for any press access to the two leaders’ meeting” held later on Friday.

In a report on Biden’s arrival in New Delhi, The Washington Post pointed out that the US leader was “seeking to entice India into a partnership against China” and encourage it to take a stronger stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine. India has avoided getting involved in this dispute as it tries to main good relations with both Russia and the United States.

Conflict in Ukraine

Ashok Kantha, a former Indian ambassador to China, told the Post: “India has made the assessment that at present we cannot play a major role in the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine” and that’s why it was not getting involved.

The CFR report noted that the United States and India “still have disagreements, “with a notable one being their views on the Russia-Ukraine war, which Washington has condemned but New Delhi has so far refrained from doing so.”

India has purchased discounted Russian oil since the war broke out in February last year, and now imports about 40 per cent of its crude supply from Moscow, the report added. India did not want to be “constrained by requirements to act on behalf of another country due to an alliance agreement,” said Ms Ayres while explaining why she believed the United States and India were not yet ready for a formal alliance. Underlining the difference between the Indian and American positions on Ukraine, Ms Ayres argued that this “probably (is) going to remain an area of disagreement,” at least in the near future.

The CFR report pointed out that Modi’s state visit to Washington was far more useful for both India and the United States than Biden’s visit to New Delhi could be.

Modi was not only feted with a welcome ceremony and state dinner but was also invited to address Congress for the second time during his prime ministership.

For India, the honours bestowed on Modi — a man who just a few years ago was denied entry to the United States for his role in the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat — showed to the world that far from being a pariah, he “is now the powerful and accepted leader of a valued partner country.”

According to the CFR report, the US also offered concrete wins. The Biden administration promised to help India increase production of electric vehicles and meet its goal of installing 500 gigawatts of wind, solar, and other renewable energy this decade.

US memory chip firm Micron Technology agreed to invest up to $825 million in a new chip assembly and test plant in Gujarat, which will be its first factory in India.

The two countries also strengthened their defence and strategic partnership.

US company General Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. India’s defence ministry also approved the purchase of armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones made by General Atomics.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2023