Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, also spoke with John Moolenaar (R-MI), the Chairman of the House Select Committee on China, to emphasize the significance of the India-US relationship.
The Select Committee in a statement on Thursday explained that the discussion included regional security, manufacturing, trade, and efforts to "shift critical manufacturing away from China to India."
Moolenaar characterized India as a "key partner for international security" which has seen the Chinese Communist Party's "aggression first-hand."
“India is the world’s largest democracy and an essential partner for global stability. It has experienced CCP aggression first-hand and is a major US security partner with an increasingly close defense industrial relationship that helps protect the American people,” he added.
He also put the spotlight on India's leadership in "counteracting malign CCP-led technology and social media firms."
“It [India] recognizes that it cannot be a free and secure nation if it allows the CCP to manipulate and control information to its people. Today’s meeting with Ambassador Kwatra reaffirmed the US-India strategic partnership and I am hopeful our two countries will continue to build an even stronger friendship grounded in common values," said Moolenaar.
The Committee's announcement mentioned India's TikTok and other Chinese apps ban after Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in 2020.
The conversation also covered the "Quad security partnership" and how to "push back against the expansionist agenda of the Chinese Communist Party," per the readout.
This meeting follows hard on the heels of Kwatra meeting US Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby at the Pentagon.
“A productive conversation with the brilliant Elbridge Colby. Reviewed the current agenda and charted actionable path on several initiatives in the pipeline of India-US defence cooperation. Value his deep knowledge, perspective and consistent support for our strategic partnership,” Kwatra wrote on X on Thursday.
Colby too gave his impressions of the meeting, describing it as a "beneficial discussion."
“I was very pleased to host @AmbVMKwatra at the Pentagon earlier this week for a valuable discussion, We at the Department of War look forward to continuing to elevate our critical defense cooperation with India,” he wrote on X.
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