Discussed China with Modi but don’t see India as ‘counterweight’: White House
Asked if the US saw India as a “counterweight” to China, at a regular White House press briefing on Friday, Kirby said, “This state visit wasn’t about China.
US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed China but the relationship isn’t based on the United States (US) viewing India as a “counterweight” to China and Modi’s state visit wasn’t about China, US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communication, John Kirby, has said. He added, though, that Washington welcomed India becoming a bigger “exporter” of security.

Asked if the US saw India as a “counterweight” to China, at a regular White House press briefing on Friday, Kirby said, “This state visit wasn’t about China. And, look, India has challenges with China as well, right on their doorstep, but also more broadly in the region. And, clearly, the challenges presented by the PRC (People’s Republic of China), to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday, no question about that,” referring to the talks between Biden and Modi.
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But Kirby insisted that this was not about “leveraging” India to be some sort of counterweight. “India is a sovereign independent state. They have their own foreign policy that they have to manage. And they live in a tough neighbourhood.”
Kirby said the US welcomed India becoming an increasing exporter of security. “And you can see a lot of that..our desire to improve the defense cooperation on hand yesterday in some of the deliverables, whether it’s coproduction of jet engines, whether it’s their purchase of MQ-9 drones. There is a lot we can do in the security front together, and that’s really what we’re focused on.”
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Asked again if the US did not see India as having any role in the American competition with China, Kirby said he did not say that, but they did not view the visit as a “messaging opportunity” to China but instead viewed it as a message for the people of both countries and the world. “India has challenges with China on their own. And they address those challenges largely on their own. Now, I will add that they are a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad and have been a terrific contributor through that multilateral forum. It’s not a formal alliance. It’s not a military organization. And they have legitimate concerns in the Indo-Pacific that they are addressing through their own vehicles as appropriate.”
When asked what would be India’s role if China invaded Taiwan, Kirby said it was for the Indian government and Modi to decide. “Our mutual challenges with the PRC in the Indo-Pacific was a matter of discussion. The Indians have been very vocal about their concerns, too, with respect to what the PRC is doing. But I don’t have anything more specific to read out to you in terms of the conversations, specifically regarding Taiwan.”
On whether Biden believed that India would reduce its purchase of Russian oil, Kirby said that India made its own decisions about oil and the US hoped to see Delhi but it below the price cap, as it had been doing.
Whether the US was encouraging American companies to move away from
China to India, Kirby said it was a way to “encourage mutual investment” with India.
