U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in India on Tuesday for discussions overshadowed by turmoil in Afghanistan and shared concerns about the growing influence of China. During his first visit to India as U.S. Secretary of State, Blinken will meet on Wednesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar before heading to Kuwait.
U.S.-India relations have historically been lukewarm, but China's push for increased influence has brought the two countries closer, especially following last year’s bloody clashes at the India-China border in the Himalayas. New Delhi is currently apprehensive about a potential Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the risks of the country becoming a haven for anti-India extremists following the withdrawal of foreign troops.
India is a strong supporter of the Afghan government and has invested billions of dollars in development projects. Recently, it evacuated 50 members of its consulate staff in Kandahar as the Taliban continued to make territorial gains.
The talks in New Delhi, still affected by the aftermath of the monsoon rains, will address joint efforts in producing COVID-19 vaccines, climate change, and U.S. officials indicated that India's human rights record would be one of the issues raised. Under Modi's administration, India has increasingly resorted to anti-terrorism legislation and laws to deter "separatism," resulting in the detention of large numbers of suspects, which opponents claim aims to silence dissent, a claim the government denies.
Additionally, the Hindu nationalist government has introduced legislation deemed discriminatory against the Muslim minority, which is estimated to number around 170 million in the country. However, Modi insists that all Indians are equal in rights.
