India’s role ‘critical’ in Biden’s strategy on China: Official

WASHINGTON: In its first year in office, the Joe Biden administration has focused on a five-part strategy to compete with China, and sees India’s role as “critical” in both pushing back against China, and advancing an affirmative vision of the Indo-pacific, National Security Council senior director for China Laura Rosenberger said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the launch of Strategic Asia 2020-21 report, Rosenberger said the administration’s approach to China rested on the analysis that while competition is particularly pronounced in the Indo-pacific, it is playing out globally.

When asked about how the US saw India’s role in this competition with China, at a time when India is facing China’s military aggression at the border, Rosenberger said, “We have taken a number of steps to deepen the partnership with India…india’s role is quite critical”. Rosenberger said that the first element of the broader US strategy on China involved “investing in ourselves”. “You can’t win a competition with only defence,” she said.

The second element was “investing in allies and partners”. This included intensive diplomacy with European allies and partners, harmonising differences, and giving momentum to Quad, among other steps.

The third element was “shaping the international environment around China”, which involved re-engaging with multilateral platforms, and reinforcing deterrence in the Indo-pacific, among other steps.

Rosenberger said the fourth element of the administration’s strategy was based on “defending our values”, including imposing costs on China for its actions in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The final element was “responsibly managing competition” with China, she said, citing the Biden-xi Jinping summit in November as an example.