Hong Kong, Oct 10 (IANS) The second visit to India this year by a senior US naval officer has raised hopes that growing defence ties between the two countries will remain insulated from trade tensions, a report has stated.
Admiral Samuel J Paparo, Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), concluded his six-day official visit to India this week following engagements with senior Indian defence officials and other dignitaries.
The talks follow Paparo’s February visit to India and came amid Washington’s consideration of additional tariffs on New Delhi over its Russian oil imports and the trade imbalance in India’s favour, according to a report in Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper.
Srinivaasan Balakrishnan, Director of Strategic Engagements and Partnerships at the Delhi-based think tank ‘Indic Researchers Forum’, told SCMP, “Trade tensions will not break the India-US military relationship, but they can put a ceiling on it. India does not want a security partnership where economic coercion becomes a test of political loyalty.”
“The military channel will remain open, but trust deepens when both sides see each other as partners, not instruments,” he added.
India and the US have further strengthened defence ties in recent years through expanded military exercises and enhanced maritime security coordination in the Indo-Pacific.
Paparo’s visit comes against the backdrop of a recent Washington meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during which the two sides sought to ease trade disputes without resolving their broader differences, the SCMP mentioned.
According to Balakrishnan, the fragile understanding between Washington and Beijing presents India with an opportunity to further strengthen its position as a key security player in the Indo-Pacific.
“India sees itself as a resident power in the Indo-Pacific, not as Washington’s counterweight to China. Its priority is a stable Indian Ocean, secure sea lanes and freedom of action,” he said.
“New Delhi will cooperate with the US, Japan, Australia and others, but without accepting a bloc mentality that limits its strategic autonomy,” Balakrishnan added.
Speaking to SCMP, Uday Chandra, a political science professor at India’s Ashoka University, said that Paparo’s talks with Indian defence officials came just weeks ahead of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s scheduled visit to India on October 19, signalling Washington’s interest in sustaining engagement with New Delhi on regional security issues.
Chandra said both countries recognised the need to prioritise security cooperation despite differences over trade.
“Admiral Paparo’s second visit this year suggests that military-to-military engagement may continue despite friction on other fronts. If tariffs become part of a longer pattern of economic coercion against India, they will inevitably affect political trust on both sides,” he added.
–IANS
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