Foreign Relations Committee of the US Congress approves bill to strengthen US-India relations

Washington: – The Foreign Relations Committee of the US congress, approved the bill for strengthening the US-India cooperation to stop aggressive Chinese activities. This will make it easier for the United States to provide any assistance required by India against China. No Technical provisions in the US law can come in the way of this cooperation. This bill approved by the committee deciding the direction of the US foreign policy will prove vital in the times to come.

The Foreign Relations Committee of the US Congress approved this bill titled ‘Strategic Competition Act’ with a majority of 21 for and one against. This bill clears the blocks for amendments to the existing US laws to provide complete cooperation to India, Japan and Australia, who are facing a direct threat of Chinese expansionist policies. This will have a major positive impact on the India-US bilateral relations. Before this, India and the United States have signed the COMCASA, BECA and LEMOA strategic agreements. Still, the cooperation between the countries could not scale the expected heights. This bill passed by the Foreign Relations Committee can contribute in a major way to remove all the obstacles created by the US laws, in the India-US bilateral cooperation.

The bill also has some important provisions to strengthen the QUAD cooperation. As per the bill, a working group of lawmakers from all the four countries will be formulated. This working group having the participation of lawmakers from the United States, India, Japan and Australia will make the cooperation between the QUAD countries, more comprehensive. The US Foreign Relations Committee expressed confidence that the group will help devise strategies to counter the super-ambitious Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Chinese activities in the Indo-Pacific sector have intensified and this has announced the Chinese ambitions to the world. China is entangling the small and underdeveloped countries into debt traps, using its economic and political might. China had promoted the BRI to rob these countries of wealth and natural resources. But Chinese intentions have been exposed, and the developed countries have realised that BRI poses a major threat to the world. While using the economic and political might in this way, China has also started displaying its military might and is trying to keep almost all the countries in the Indo-Pacific under pressure.

International marine movement and stability and security of the Indo-Pacific Sector face a major threat from these Chinese activities. The United States is forced to take note of this and the bill passed by the Foreign Relations Committee reflects the sentiment.