Why Biden’s top aide is coming to India at the end of his term
Last Updated on January 7, 2025 6:47 am
Joe Biden’s term as US President is about two weeks away. At the same time, his national security adviser Jack Sullivan is going to New Delhi on a visit. The visit will begin today. The White House announced this on Friday.
The aim of the visit is to strengthen the India-US strategic relationship to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. A senior administration official said that strengthening relations with India is a “real foreign policy priority and a traditional area of achievement for the Biden administration.”
The main topics of discussion of the visit include civil nuclear partnerships, China’s influence in semiconductor and biopharma supply chains, strategic technology cooperation and other security priorities. In this context, another official said that the main goal of the visit is to further strengthen the two countries’ joint initiative in Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET).
Sullivan’s visit is important in the context of India-China tensions over China’s proposed construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Tibetan plateau. Experts fear that the dam could have a negative impact on billions of people in India and Bangladesh.
In response to a question from Voice of America, an official said, “The fair and equitable management of water resources in the countries is important to us.” The visit is also expected to discuss other regional concerns, including the dam.
It is worth noting that in May 2022, Biden and Modi announced an expansion of the strategic technology partnership between the two countries in the AI, quantum computing, semiconductors and space sectors. Sullivan’s visit is expected to further this initiative.