U.S. Lawmakers Label India Indispensable Counterweight to China

U.S. Representatives Ami Bera and Rich McCormick declared India indispensable to global stability and a critical democratic counterweight to China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. Speaking at a series of events hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, the lawmakers emphasized that the U.S.-India partnership remains a bipartisan priority across administrations, serving as a stabilizing anchor regardless of shifts in White House diplomacy.

Bera and McCormick identified China as the principal strategic adversary of the United States, warning against allowing Beijing to set global standards. They positioned India as essential for maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, specifically through the Quad grouping. McCormick warned that restricting India's access to advanced U.S. technology could inadvertently push New Delhi toward Chinese alternatives.

Addressing regional dynamics, the lawmakers explicitly stated that the United States is not creating a strategic partnership with Pakistan. They contrasted the two nations, noting that while American companies make multibillion-dollar investments in India, no such alignment exists with Pakistan. These remarks occurred amid tensions, including a 25% tariff increase imposed by the Donald Trump administration over India's purchase of Russian oil. McCormick defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to buy Russian energy as being in India's best national interest, while cautioning that alienating India would lead to "big trouble for all of us."