The News
Though many foreign leaders are tensely watching the US presidential election, one country is confident its ties to Washington are on the upswing regardless of who wins: India.
US politicians across party lines have prized improved ties to New Delhi, and India has fitfully grown closer to Washington as its relations with China have worsened. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Joe Biden over the weekend and is expected to meet with ex-President Donald Trump this week. “We are pretty agnostic,” India’s former top diplomat told the Asia Society’s podcast, referring to the outcome of November’s election.
On Sunday, Modi spoke at a rally for Indian Americans in New York, emphasizing their influence ahead of the US presidential election, while officials announced a new US-India semiconductor plant.
SIGNALS
Indian-Americans represent key voter demographic ahead of election
Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother was Indian, has made a concerted effort to connect with Asian American voters, who constitute the US’ fastest-growing voting group, according to the Pew Research Center. Harris’ campaign recently released an ad spotlighting her mother’s immigration story that seemed aimed specifically at Asian American voters in key battleground states like Nevada, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. Asian Americans have historically voted Democrat, but a 2021 analysis showed that the GOP has recently improved their favorability with Asian American voters in some battleground states.
Semiconductor project underscores India’s supply chain importance
After India’s Modi met with US President Joe Biden in Delaware Saturday, the US and India announced a semiconductor manufacturing partnership that will see the latter country produce crucial parts for chips. The initiative underscores India’s strategic importance in the global supply chain, positioning it as an alternative to China, Bloomberg noted. At the same time, Modi has long sought to bolster India’s manufacturing sector, and in particular, positioning India as a hub for producing international consumer technology, with companies like Apple moving some of its manufacturing out of China to India.
Modi walks a diplomatic tightrope
Modi’s recent trip to Ukraine, just weeks after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and his ongoing visit to the US spotlights the Indian prime minister’s careful balancing act between the West and its antagonists. Part of Modi’s long standing aim of cementing India’s strategic autonomy, the country has maintained its trade-heavy relationship with Russia while also strengthening ties with Central and Eastern Europe. His recent visit to Poland, the first by an Indian prime minister in 45 years, demonstrates India’s strategy of diversifying its diplomatic partners, an analyst wrote in the Indian Express: “Modi’s visit to Warsaw and Kyiv is about recognizing that momentous change at the heart of Europe and deepening bilateral political, economic, and security ties with Central European states.”