NEW DELHI : US President-Elect Joseph Biden has always been a strong supporter of the India-US partnership since his days in the Senate and later as Vice President.
As two mature and vibrant democracies, India and the United States are natural partners with shared values. Driven by a convergence of interests, the bilateral relationship between India and the US is built on a solid foundation, encompassing cooperation in all possible spheres, including strategic, political, defense, security, economic and commercial, energy, educational, health, space, etc. .
While the India-US partnership While the US has thrived with both Republicans and Democrats, Biden has been a strong advocate for India and the India-US partnership as a Senator (1973-2008) and later as Vice President (2009-2016).
As a senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has always supported various resolutions in support of India.
In August 2001, as a senator, Biden, who was also chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote a letter to President George W. Bush calling on the new administration to unilaterally withdraw US sanctions against India.
As chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden worked to get the US Senate to pass the Civil Nuclear Accord between the United States and India in 2008, and co-sponsored several pieces of legislation on the fight against terrorism.
When India and the United States began negotiations under President Bush and then-Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to conclude a civil nuclear deal, then-Senator Biden was a key ally of India in the Senate. He traveled to India (with then-senators Chuck Hagel and John Kerry) in early 2008 before the US Congress approved the nuclear deal with India. He was a consistent advocate for the deal and was certainly critical to its success.
Biden supported India’s aspiration to play a more active role in the global arena and called for a new framework that would give “a seat at the head table” to all major players in Asia, including India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also had an excellent relationship with the US administration under the Democrats, led by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden during 2009-2016. President Obama visited India in 2010.
As Vice President, Biden arrived in India on July 22-25, 2013 on a four-day official visit, accompanied by his wife Jill. He visited then-President Pranab Mukherjee, met with Vice President Hamid Ansari, and visited the Gandhi Smriti Museum in Delhi. He also visited Mumbai to meet business leaders at a panel discussion and delivered a policy speech at the Bombay Stock Exchange.
When Prime Minister Modi visited the United States in September 2014, Biden offered him a lunch. He presided over a joint session of Congress in June 2016, which was addressed by Prime Minister Modi.
The Obama-Biden administration named India a “top defense partner” in 2016, allowing India to be treated on a par with other close partners of the United States in terms of access to advanced and sensitive military technologies.
The Obama-Biden administration also supported India’s claim to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council and called for cooperation to combat terrorism, stressing that “there can be no tolerance for terrorism in South Asia, cross-border or cross-border. another type”.
In his campaign documents this year, Biden reiterated his vision for the US-India partnership. In the run-up to the August 15 election, Biden spoke of the “special bond” between India and the United States, which had deepened over the years. He spoke of supporting India in the face of threats in the region and on its borders and stressed that the world would be a safer place if the two countries were to get closer. He also called for expanding two-way trade and tackling major global challenges, including climate change and global health security together with India.
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