Indian Ambassador Says U.S.-India Ties Remain Strong Despite Concerns
WASHINGTON — India’s ambassador to the United States pushed back against concerns about strains in the U.S.-India relationship, saying ties between the two countries remain strong and continue to enjoy bipartisan support in Washington.
Speaking at the Capitol Hill Summit 2026, organized by the U.S.-India Friendship Council, Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the partnership is expanding across trade, technology, defense and critical minerals. He said many concerns about tensions in the relationship are “not informed by the actual facts on the ground.”
“We are natural partners not because of geography or compulsions of geography, but because of our shared values,” Kwatra said, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the U.S. Congress.
Kwatra said every U.S. administration over the past two decades has built on the work of its predecessor in strengthening relations with India.
“If you look at the thread of the relationship over the previous decades and through the successive administrations, you will find that each administration has tried, sought and successfully built on the achievements of the previous administration,” he said.
The ambassador pointed to India’s economic transformation since 2014 as a major factor driving deeper engagement with Washington.
“One of the drivers, I must point out, is a set of transformational journeys that are currently taking place in India,” he said.
Kwatra said India and the United States have set a goal of increasing annual bilateral trade from about $220 billion to $500 billion by 2030.
He described defense and security cooperation as one of the fastest-growing pillars of the partnership, citing operational coordination and renewed long-term defense frameworks between the two countries.
“Today, India is the largest user of a couple of American platforms outside the US,” he said.
Kwatra also highlighted progress in semiconductors, critical minerals and civil nuclear cooperation. He said recent legislation in India’s civil nuclear sector had “unlocked” opportunities for private-sector collaboration.
On technology cooperation, Kwatra pointed to major American investments in India’s semiconductor and electronics sectors, including projects involving Micron and other U.S. companies.
The ambassador also defended India’s intellectual property protections during a question-and-answer session after his remarks.
“There are about 2,000 global capability centres in India, roughly half of them are actually of the US companies,” Kwatra said in response to a question about patent and trademark protection. “That gives you a sense of patent, trademark protection and the IP protection which is there in India.”
Responding to another question about educational cooperation, Kwatra said India is working to build institutions of “global excellence” that can attract international students and scholars.
“India is definitely on a path to build institutions of global excellence when it comes to the field of education,” he said.
Kwatra described the Indian diaspora in the United States as a “foundational anchor” of the bilateral partnership and credited Indian Americans with helping deepen political, economic and cultural ties between the two democracies.
The summit brought together lawmakers, diplomats, policy experts and business leaders at a time when trade disputes, visa restrictions and geopolitical shifts have prompted renewed debate over the future of the U.S.-India relationship. (Source: IANS)
