Blinken: US-India partnership more dynamic than ever

NEW DELHI: The strategic relationship between India and the US has never been as dynamic as it is now, US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said. The remark follows India's successful hosting of the G20 summit last week and PM Narendra Modi's bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden on the margins that saw them reaffirming their joint commitment to enhancing defence, technology and civil nuclear cooperation."The US-India strategic partnership has never been more dynamic, as we team up on everything from advanced semiconductors to defence cooperation," Blinken said on Wednesday in his remarks on "Power and Purpose of American Diplomacy in a New Era" at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) here.Blinken said the Biden administration has elevated the Quad partnership with India, Japan, and Australia to deliver for the countries and the world on everything from manufacturing vaccines to strengthening maritime security to addressing climate challenges. India will host the Quad summit next year, as decided at the last meeting of the leaders in Hiroshima earlier this year."And just this past week at the G20, President Biden and Indian Prime Minister Modi announced another ambitious transportation, energy, and technology corridor that will connect the ports of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, and the EU will team up with the US and India to turbocharge clean energy production, and digital connectivity, and strengthen critical supply chains across the region," Blinken said.The new economic corridor, seen as a potential rival to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was jointly announced last week by the leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi.