Biden's pick for Secretary of State opinion on India-US Ties, China

US prsesident-elect Joe Biden appointee Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that India and the US face a common challenge in the form of an "increasingly assertive" China and New Delhi has to be a key partner in engaging with Beijing from a position of strength. He alleged that US President Donald Trump has helped China advance key strategic goals by weakening American alliances, leaving a vacuum in the world for China to fill, and abandoning American values and giving Beijing a green light to trample on democracy in Hong Kong. Blinken told the Indian-Americans during the virtual panel discussion on US-India Relations and Indian Americans in Joe Biden Administration. He alleged that Trump had undermined US democracy.

In many ways, as we think about dealing with the challenges that China poses, it's almost less about their strength and more about some of our self-inflicted weaknesses, he said. Blinken said that Biden as President would be investing in ourselves renewing our democracy, working with our close partners like India, asserting our values, and so engaging China from a position of strength.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have spiralled downward since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The two countries have also sparred over trade issues, a new national security law in Hong Kong, restrictions on American journalists, treatment of Uyghurs Muslims and security measures in Tibet.