Washington is keen to cooperate with India through the Quad and strengthen defense ties, the Trump administration’s top diplomat for South Asia, Paul Kapoor, indicated in a briefing before a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives.
US President Donald Trump recently announced an important trade deal with India. (PTI)Kapoor, the assistant secretary of state for US relations with South and Central Asia, added that the US is planning to sell new weapons to India. He pointed to the resilience of US-India relations despite recent trade tensions and welcomed the framework agreement announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
“India, with its size, location and commitment to a free and open region, anchors South Asia and, more broadly, the western half of the Indo-Pacific… The US and India maintain high-level diplomatic touchpoints such as the 2+2 ministerial level and cooperate closely in the defense, technology and energy sectors. Long-standing issues in our trade relationship, such as the 10-year renewed US-India Defense Framework Agreement, trust initiatives and drones As evidenced by Indian purchases of US products ranging from to liquefied natural gas,” Kapoor said in his opening statement to the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on South and Central Asia.
He added that the conclusion of the Framework Trade Agreement between India and the US has opened up more opportunities for the relationship. Kapoor hinted at possible new sales of weapons systems to India. “We also have some potential purchases of weapons systems in the pipeline that will help India better defend itself, assert its sovereignty…will create American jobs and be good for both sides.”
An expert on security and defense-related issues in South Asia, Kapoor was unable to elaborate on how Washington proposed to monitor New Delhi’s purchases of Russian energy after being questioned by Kapoor representative Keith Self.
“I think Quad is a very important platform. It has worked well. It was defunct in 2017 when it was first revived during the Trump administration, and it has gained importance ever since…it is a platform that enables us to connect and collaborate with our like-minded partners in a unique way. We talked about India before Quad…but we can encourage an active India-technology partnership, which can be our active partner. Defense and econ-related and trade-related interests,” Kapoor said while questioning Congresswoman Sydney Kamalager-Dove about the possibility of a four-nation partnership.
Key lawmakers have voiced their disagreement over Trump’s handling of relations with India. “Tariffs of 50% on India, one of the highest in the world, have caused an unnecessary rupture in bilateral relations that have sacrificed decades of painstaking trust-building between our two countries. Over a year of stalled talks cost us time to hold the annual Quad Leaders’ Summit and weakened our posture, led by the Indo-Pagger,” said Democratic members of the South and Central Asia Subcommittee.
Kapoor addressed US priorities with Pakistan, particularly in light of the close relationship between the Trump administration and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government. Referring to Pakistan as an “important partner”, he outlined key minerals, trade and counter-terrorism cooperation as areas of focus for the US in relations with Islamabad.
“Pakistan is another important partner in the region. We are working together with Pakistan to realize the potential of its important mineral resources, combining U.S. government seed funding with the private sector for the benefit of both our countries. Our trade in energy and agriculture is also expanding, and our ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation helps Pakistan address threats to our internal security or undermine our partnership.” Dr. Kapoor.
