Why in news?
Indian PM is set to meet US President next week.
How is India US relations at present?
- In both countries there exists internal debate on democracy and resilience of institutional checks and balances, the bedrock of both democracies.
- Resisting Chinese expansionism has been a shared interest between India and the U.S in recent years, and the rising defence cooperation between the two countries is testimony to that.
- But the economic relation between China US seems to be far better than India US trade relations.
- American companies are very vocal about unfair state interventions and IPR (intellectual property rights) losses in China, but the Chinese market and manufacturing processes are essential for their global operations.
- For the American state, China, as a threat, comes in the category of ‘important, but not urgent’, which contradicts Indian view point on China.
- India has complained of American for its concerns in its policy towards Pakistan.
- But there has been increasing appreciation among Washington’s strategic thinkers and policymakers of Pakistan’s duplicity in the conflict in Afghanistan.
- That Pakistan exports terror to its neighbouring countries has now been stated in multiple government documents and Congressional hearings.
- However, successive U.S. administrations have viewed India’s attempts to influence America’s Pakistan policy with scepticism.
- While India wants the U.S. to rein in Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism, it does not want American opinion on Kashmir, a position that American policymakers consider contradictory.
- The U.S. Department of Defence has been a champion of enhancing cooperation with India and in that effect Pentagon supports the sale of Guardian drones to India.
Source: The Hindu
