CLOSE on the heels of Foreign Secretary Mr. Vikram Misri’s visit to the United States, the four-day trip by US Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio to India completes the reset in the Indo-US relations which were under strain after the tariff bomb dropped by President Mr. Donald Trump. A patch-up is on the horizon at the highest level after the first comprehensive dialogue between Mr. Rubio and Indian Ministers.

 

The India-US relation is now set to evolve to a different plane as Washington’s mending signal has been cautiously received by New Delhi and a message of maintaining strategic autonomy in the face of global crisis delivered without mincing words by External Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar. As Mr. Rubio stressed on the ‘America First’ policy practiced by the Trump administration, Mr. Jaishankar politely reminded the same principle of ‘India First’ followed by New Delhi in the interest of its own people. It was a simple and loaded statement of India’s foreign policy priorities by the EAM as he outlined a strategic five-point blueprint for global stability. India’s assertion that it supports dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis was another reminder to Mr. Trump that New Delhi would not get dragged into his war against Iran in any capacity. India also asserted support to unimpeded maritime commerce and respect for international law while red-flagging weaponisation of market position and resources.

 

The message was not only for Mr. Trump to desist from using financial heft to blackmail allies through the weapon of tariff but also to all countries seeking total control on natural resources under their ownership. That the issues could be talked out for universal benefit showed that India was not interested in using military power as a tool for negotiations. Business at gun-point is not done, India has told Mr. Trump through his close confidant. Mr. Rubio’s visit holds significance for geopolitics from multiple angles. It showed to the world that India and America have overcome the major downturn in relations and are ready to bolster cooperation in critical sectors with a new vigour. The Secretary of State’s assertion for a close defence and economic engagement with India has come right after Mr. Trump’s visit to China. In context of that trip, the US has told Mr. Xi Jinping that it would not stray from the policy of keeping India as a strategic counterweight in the South Asian region. This assertion has come with the dismissal of observations that the US-India relationship had lost its two-decade momentum. Mr. Rubio chose to swat it completely by stating that the engagement was set to grow much stronger by the end of the current administration’s tenure. In one statement, the United States has laid out its priorities in Asia by choosing India as its most-trusted strategic partner. It was a signal for all those who were out to mock the NDA regime at the Centre for falling out of the favour of Washington. Mr. Rubio has told them in clear terms to shut their rumour mills.

 

What Mr. Rubio’s four-day visit to India has achieved is not just a fresh start to the stalled bilateral relations but also has given a new direction to the proposed trade deal between the two nations. After Mr. Misri’s visit to the US, delegation-level negotiations had started between representatives of both the countries. Now, with Mr. Rubio flying down to India, the trade deal is set to become a reality pretty soon. All pointers from Mr. Rubio’s changed tone and body language are of a win-win situation for India. It will be a great result for Indian diplomacy if the US signs the deal as per Indian terms. It will be the perfect play of strategic leverage by a country in the best interest of its people. At the same time, India will have to sensitise the US about its energy needs which have been severely affected by the West Asia crisis. Though India has used its strategic autonomy to get oil from all possible sources, there has to be a clear understanding with the US that the matter is non-negotiable.