From 21-23 September , PM Modi went on a three day visit to the US. Unlike his last visit in June, this was not a bilateral state visit. The two main events of this visit were a summit meeting of the Quad grouping of countries (the US, Japan, India and Australia), which took place on the first day; and Modi’s speech to the meeting of world leaders called “Summit of the Future” (organised as part of the 79th annual session of the UN General Assembly), which was held on the third day.
In between, Modi had meetings with various heads of government of other countries, and also with Indians in the US as well as American businessmen.
The Quad Summit was originally supposed to be held this time in India. However, at the request of the US, it was shifted there. This was probably because it was US President Biden’s last time to preside over the Quad before the next US general election.
The Quad grouping of four countries from the “Indo-Pacific” region was set up clearly with the idea of containing China, particularly in the maritime sphere. Like at previous summits, China was not officially named in the joint statement issued at the end of the Summit. However, it was clear from the wording that China was being presented as the main obstacle to a “free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific”. The references to “coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea”, “the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including increasing use of dangerous maneuvers”, and “efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities”, were all directed plainly against China.
At the same time, the Quad governments are well aware that all the countries of the Indo-Pacific regions have very extensive economic and other ties with China, and that simply harping on the threat from China cannot go very far with them. Hence, the Quad has been trying to talk about benefits they can bring to the region in spheres like the economy, education, health and other “soft” spheres. This time, under the name of “Cancer Moonshot”, they promised to deliver vaccines to countries across the region where cancer, and particularly cervical cancer, is widely prevalent. Modi promised to supply vaccines from India for this purpose.
What was significant in this Summit is that plans were put forward to increase the coordination among their own countries’ armed forces, military/civilian infrastructure and intelligence apparatus. This was done under the name of schemes such as the “Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission”, the “Indo-Pacific Logistics Network” pilot project, and the “Quad Ports of the Future Partnership”. A “Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network Memorandum of Cooperation” was also concluded, keeping in mind the dominance of China in this area.
From Wilmington, Delaware, where the Quad Summit was held, Modi proceeded to New York. In a rally of Indians resident in the US, he touted the so-called achievements of India under his leadership. Among other things, he claimed that under his government 250 million people had been lifted out of poverty! Modi also made a point of meeting some members of the Sikh community in the US who praised him for doing a lot for their community. This is significant because the US is arm twisting the Modi government for masterminding a plot to assassinate a Sikh leader in the US. Just a few days before the visit, a US court has issued a summons to Indian officials supposed to have been involved in the plot, including the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval who was conspicuously absent in this visit to the US.
In a meeting with some representatives of the tech industry in the US in New York, Modi stressed the same message of how India represented a great field for investment in “cutting edge” technologies such as AI, quantum computing, semiconductor technologies, etc.
In his speech at the UN “Summit of the Future” on his last day there, Modi tried to project himself as someone speaking on behalf of “one-sixth of humanity”, that is, the Indian people. While he mouthed various platitudes about the need for global cooperation to address the challenges facing humanity, a key thrust of his speech was the need for reform of international institutions to make them more representative of the new geopolitical realities. This was essentially a pitch for India to be made a permanent member of the Security Council, which has been the desire of the ruling Indian bourgeoisie for a long time.
While in New York, bilateral meetings were arranged between Modi and various other countries’ leaders, including the leaders of Nepal, Vietnam and Armenia. Of particular significance was his third meeting with the Ukrainian President Zelensky within the last few months, and with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting with Zelensky fuelled speculation that Modi is trying to be a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. By meeting Mahmoud Abbas and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, Modi was diverting attention from the fact that his government has taken a very weak and immoral position on Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people, at a time when the great majority of the world’s peoples and governments have forthrightly condemned Israel’s crimes. It is ironic that just two days earlier, his government had refused to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution passed by a great majority, including countries like France and Japan, that had called on Israel to end its genocidal war on the Palestinian people as well as its occupation Palestinian territories.
It is clear that a major purpose of this visit was to project Modi, as the representative of the ruling Indian big bourgeoisie, on the world stage as a great statesman hobnobbing with the US and its allies, while also claiming “equal closeness” (in Modi’s words) with its rivals and with the countries of the “Global South” who represent the majority of the world’s peoples. The Indian state is calling this the exercise of “strategic autonomy” in which it will take decisions based only on India’s “national interests”. However, the rapidly escalating tensions and conflicts around the world, caused mainly by US imperialism, are reducing the space for this “strategic autonomy”. The closer that the Indian state draws to the US, the more pressure will be put on it to follow US imperialism’s lead on all global affairs. The growing closeness of the Indian state to the US in a number of spheres, including military and intelligence, comes at a great cost to the Indian people, our independence and security, and our relations with other peoples.