New Delhi: US Secretary Antony Blinken began his first official visit to India Wednesday, warned “the increase in global threats to democracy” because the two countries were looking for the same land in disputes with China.
Blinken met with his colleague Subrahmananyam Jaisankar and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in the national capital.
Indian border tension with China, a developing security crisis in Afghanistan triggered by the withdrawal of upcoming final US troops and Covid-19 is likely to be high on the agenda.
In a meeting with civil society leaders in the capital, New Delhi, Blinken refers to threats to democracy, noting that “it is important that we, two leading democracies in the world, continue to stand together in supporting these ideals.” Blinken met for a while with representatives from Tibetan Spiritual Leaders, Dalai Lama, during a visit, US representative said in a statement.
His journey came when his government vowed to challenge what was described as China’s aggression and while countries throughout South and Southeast Asia fight in Covid-19 in the middle of a slow routine vaccination.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is also in Asia with a message that America is committed to involvement in the region, while emphasizing that the US and its partners face joint challenges in China.
“Democracy is a common value of humanity.
It was not patented by any country,” said a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian in response to Blinken’s comments on the direction of the regular press on Wednesday in Beijing.
“Not democratic at all to damage other people while playing themselves as superior.” Referring to what he described as Beijing’s reluctance to resolve peaceful disputes, said Austin in a speech in Singapore on Tuesday: “We have also seen aggression against India, disrupting military activities and other forms of coercion towards the people of Taiwan, and humanitarian crimes and crimes Against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
“The bond between the US and India has warmed up in recent years because these two countries share convergent interests on Chinese actions in the region.
The Biden government has spent more time in India in the first six months of the previous administration, with Blinken a vision of the third high level, said Tanvi Madan, Director of the Indian project at the Washington-based Brookings institution.
His meeting with civil society leaders “signaled to the audience back home that he did not rule out components of values, to Indians that the integral democracy and pluralism of the relationship, and to China with the inclusion of organizations related to the Dalai Lama, “Madan said.
However, there were concerns in Washington for the landscape of deteriorating human rights in the South Asian country.
Dean Thompson, acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs, said Friday Blinken would raise these problems during his visit.
Because Modi in 2014, Hard-Liners at Bharatiya Janata’s party were getting brave in promoting the dominance of Hindus, which formed 80% of the population.
The limiting new citizenship law that is seen targeting 170 million of the country, along with lethal harsh acts on protest against these steps is two main pressure points, and intensify the government’s pressure on the media.
“The broader trend of India has the potential to become a scientific democracy has the potential to have a problem for the Biden government, especially because it continues to emphasize shared values ​​as a tie that binds the same-minded democratic countries with autocracy,” said Derek Grossman, Senior Analyst, Rand Think Tank Corp..
“India under Modi is increasingly becoming a Hindu nationalist country that does not always treat a minority well, and it is something that is considered by progressive parties to the Democratic Party and can encourage the President of Biden in the future.”