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US President Donald Trump’s 2 top national security aides will visit India for meetings. Their supposed meetings will largely be focused on countering increasing global Chinese influence. These meetings will take place in New Delhi and designed to reinforce the president’s anti-China campaign message. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper will meet their Indian counterparts on Tuesday to discuss strategic and security issues. Pompeo will travel on to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia after the meetings in India. Point to be noted that President Trump has played up his friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his re-election bid. He said, “Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India, it’s filthy. The air is filthy”.

It is a more critical time in the U.S-India relationship because China stands out over what Washington has labeled the Indo-Pacific region. The increasing border tensions between India and China have just added to Chinese-American animosity that has been fueled by disputes over the coronavirus, trade, technology, Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, human rights, and disputes between China and its smaller neighbors in the South China Sea. Moreover, India is looking to emerge from a shell of internal issues, including unrest in the region of Kashmir, and is keen to join a group of like-minded countries facing twin threats from China and Pakistan. President Trump has offered help to eliminate or decrease tensions but has yet to receive any indication of interest from either side.

It is noteworthy that India and China fought a month-long war over the region at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the fall of 1962. Pompeo has made no secret of the Trump administration’s desire to isolate China. Last week, Pompeo said, “I’m sure that my meetings will also include discussions on how free nations can work together to thwart threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party”. The Deputy Secretary of State Biegun visited New Delhi last week ahead of the visit of Pompeo and Esper. Biegun called China ‘An Elephant in the Room’ and stressed that Washington is looking to advance Indian interests in the region. The U.S and India have firmly lifted up their military relationship.