Washington, D.C., Dec. 11 — Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia at a hearing titled “The US-India Strategic Partnership: Securing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director of Observer Research Foundation America, described growing US-India cooperation as India’s navy has stepped up patrols and assumed greater maritime burden-sharing across the Indian Ocean and into the Pacific.
Jaishankar warned that China has recently accelerated and modernized its strategic forces, mounted a major naval buildup, and fielded new unmanned and cyber capabilities. He recalled the 2020 border escalations that produced clashes in which 20 Indian military personnel were killed. He also said Beijing has developed a string of potentially dual-use ports across the Indo‑Pacific that could control critical chokepoints, a development that has helped drive the Indian Navy’s expanded presence.
On economic fronts, Jaishankar noted convergence between Washington and New Delhi: both run large trade deficits with China, and recent Chinese restrictions on rare-earth exports underscore how supply-chain concentration can be used as strategic leverage. He added that the two democracies have also found common ground in efforts to stabilize the Middle East.
Sameer Lalwani, External Senior Advisor at the Special Competitive Studies Project and Senior Fellow for the Indo‑Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund, argued that expectations of a quick diplomatic thaw between India and China are misplaced. He said persistent border disputes, deepening strategic rivalry, and Beijing’s coercive economic practices are likely to keep the relationship adversarial.
Lalwani observed that India’s dependence on Russia is declining: while legacy ties remain important for defense equipment and energy, Moscow plays little role in India’s future-facing technologies such as AI, quantum, and biotech. He warned that recent US-India trade tensions and tariff actions have raised concerns in India and could erode trust; a comprehensive trade deal could help, but restoring confidence in US reliability is essential.
Finally, Lalwani highlighted a recurring “say‑do” gap in US-India cooperation, where high-level commitments have outpaced implementation. He pointed to slow-moving projects like the jet-engine co-production agreement as examples that can dilute strategic benefits and weaken deterrence. Closing that gap, he said, will require sustained resources, focus, and political leadership.
