Joe Biden speaks as his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, listens during a press conference.

Washington:

India and the US have a common challenge which has to deal with an increasingly assertive China across the board, including using aggression toward New Delhi at the Line of Actual Control and using its economic might to coerce others and reap unfair advantage, said Antony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of the state.

During a panel discussion moderated by US former envoy to India Richard Verma, Blinken said Biden administration would be an advocate for India to play a leading role in international institutions and that includes helping India get a permanent seat on the reformed United Nations Security Council.

“We have a common challenge which has to deal with an increasingly assertive China across the board, including its aggression toward India at the Line of Actual Control but also using its economic might to coerce others and reap unfair advantage. Ignoring international rules to advance its own interests asserting unfounded maritime and territorial claims that threaten freedom of navigation in some of the most important seas in the world,” he said.

“In a Biden administration, we would be an advocate for India to play a leading role in international institutions and that includes helping India get a seat on a United Nations Security Council,” he added

Former Vice President Joe Biden sees the United States and India as “natural partners”, and that is the vision he would help to make real if elected as US president, said Blinken.

Blinken remembered that Joe Biden had a vision for future India and US relations in 2006 that ”My dream is that in 2020, the two closest nations in the world will be India and the United States”.

“We are not quite there, but it”s a terrific vision and one that I know. He will act, to realise as President of the United States… Joe Biden sees the United States in India as natural partners, and that”s the vision he would help to make real as president,” Blinken said.

Blinken chided the Trump administration of using transactional trade war while dealing with India, rather than partnership.

“President Trump. I think his approach to India has been basically full of photo ops. In short, on actual, real demonstrable progress. He takes a transactional approach, including a transactional trade war, rather than partnership,” he added.

In Obama-Biden administration, Blinken said that Washington made significant progress in strengthening the relationship between our countries, both under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Prime Minister Narendra Modi

“In Obama-Biden administration itself, We made significant progress in strengthening the relationship between our countries, both under Prime Minister Singh and then Prime Minister Modi, a lot of you know this we”re engaged in this but for example, we launched the defense technology and trade initiative to strengthen India”s defense industrial base, and also to pave the way for American and Indian companies to work together to co-develop and co-produce technology,” he added.