NEW YORK (Realist English). A senior US State Department official on Wednesday underscored Washington’s view of India as a “critical partner” in the Indo-Pacific, dismissing concerns that sharp disagreements over trade and Russian oil imports had altered the strategic equation.
“India remains the ‘indo’ in Indo-Pacific,” the official said, stressing that bilateral ties are strong despite friction. The remark comes as the Biden administration seeks to balance relations with New Delhi while managing broader regional tensions involving China and Pakistan.
The official pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first engagement in office — a January meeting with Quad foreign ministers from the US, India, Japan and Australia — as evidence of Washington’s commitment. A leaders’ summit is expected in New Delhi later this year, though President Donald Trump’s attendance has not been confirmed.
Trump spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month, with both sides describing the conversation positively. Yet since returning to office, Trump has also courted Pakistan, meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir. New Delhi has openly rejected Trump’s claims of brokering peace in May during a brief India-Pakistan conflict.
The administration has further complicated ties by imposing 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including penalties over Russian oil imports. Trade talks remain stalled, while US officials continue to press New Delhi on energy purchases. Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar are currently in New York for meetings with US counterparts, including Rubio and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Despite the tensions, the State Department insisted the partnership is intact. “We absolutely still see India as a democratic counterweight to China,” the official said, adding that differences over trade and energy were being addressed in “productive” discussions.
