Kurt Campbell, White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific said on Friday (November 20), that India will be a key fulcrum player on the global stage in the 21st century.
Campbell was speaking at an event hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace, which is a Washington-based think tank on the theme of ‘Beyond AUKUS and the Quad: What’s Next for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy’.
“I’m very bullish about the future with India. I think we all recognize that the critical, crucial member in the Quad is India,” Campbell said, referring to the Quad Security Dialogue among the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia. This is a moment for thinking creatively and strategically about what’s possible between the United States and India.” he added.
He also said that India, along with Vietnam and a few other countries in Asia, tops the list of critical countries that will define the future of Asia. It must be noted that the US once fought a bitter war in Vietnam that left million of people dead.
Campbell said that both “India and Vietnam as “critical” partners for future US regional strategy” and on the deadly border clashes with China, he encouraged India to “reach out and to build, not just with the United States, but other countries, stronger bonds to signal that India is not alone and is working with other countries,”
He went on to state that the expanded U.S. cooperation with partners is causing China “heartburn” and during the Chinese President Xi Jinping virtual meeting with President Joe Biden, he made it clear that Washington’s work to bolster ties with allies represented Cold War thinking.
Campbell also disclosed that Japan has agreed to host the next summit of the Quad group in 2022 and during the first in-person Quad summit that was held in Washington in September, leaders of the four countries committed to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and agreed to hold a leaders’ meeting annually.
Noting that Quad is not yet a “formal alliance”, Campbell said, “Current consensus is that it is appropriate to be considered as an informal gathering. I do not believe we will take steps in the near term to institutionalize” the group, he added.
On AUKUS, Campbell said the United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines, as China’s military build-up is threatening the region and also added that China is going for the largest defence modernisation in our times.
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