On his first visit to India after taking office, Blinken stressed that "democracy" also called U.S.-India relations very important

The Paper's reporter Nan Boyi

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken visited India on July 28, and during his one-day trip, he repeatedly emphasized the identity of the United States and India as a "democracy" and said that the relationship between the United States and India is extremely important.

According to the Associated Press and the Times of India reported on the 28th, Indian Foreign Minister Jaijay Sojaysen and Indian National Security Adviser Dorval met with the visiting Blinken in New Delhi on the same day. The two sides discussed the U.S.-Japan-India-Australia "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" mechanism, the situation in Afghanistan, the so-called "Indo-Pacific region", and the fight against COVID-19.

On July 28, 2021 local time, In New Delhi, India, Indian Foreign Minister Jaisen Sujaldon held talks with visiting US Secretary of State Blinken. People's Vision Diagram

At a joint press conference after the foreign ministers' meeting, Blinken said that the United States and India are both "leading democracies" and that "there are few more important relationships in the world than the U.S.-India relationship." He said strengthening the U.S.-India relationship is one of the priorities of U.S. foreign policy. In response to the U.S.-Japan-India-Australia "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" mechanism, Blinken defended that it is not a military alliance and that its purpose is to strengthen cooperation on regional challenges.

In response to Blinken's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at the Foreign Ministry's regular press conference on July 28 that democracy is a common value of all mankind and is not a patent of a certain country. The forms of achieving democracy are varied, there is no fixed model, and there is no standard answer. A one-man, one-vote, multi-party system is not the only form of democracy. Democracy should not be a label and a tool to smear and degrade others and to provoke confrontation. Which country is democratic and which country is autocratic is not defined by a few countries. The practice of belittling others and elevating oneself is not democratic in itself.

The situation in Afghanistan was also a key topic of Blinken's visit. Blinken called India's contribution to the stability of the situation in Afghanistan "very important" and that there would be no "military solution" to the Afghan conflict. Jason Sophie said the world wants to see an independent, sovereign, democratic and stable Afghanistan and should find a solution through dialogue.

Blinken also announced that the United States would provide $25 million to support India's vaccination efforts. He said the U.S. was grateful for India's help to the U.S. in the early days of the pandemic and would reciprocate. Jason Sophie also thanked the Biden administration for its support to India's fight against the epidemic.

Jason Sou said on social media after the meeting that the meeting with Blinken was "extensive and productive" and that the two sides shared similar views on many regional concerns.

Although Blinken has been emphasizing the "democratic values" of the United States and India during his visit, a US State Department official said on the 23rd that Blinken will mention human rights and media freedom issues in India during his visit to India. In recent years, the Modi government has been criticized for revoking the special status of Indian-controlled Kashmir, amendments to the Citizenship Law, and peasant protests.

This is Blinken's first visit to India since taking office. The Associated Press pointed out that before Blinken's visit to India, US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman had just visited China. According to the itinerary announced on the US State Department website, Blinken will also meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the trip to India, Blinken will also visit Kuwait.

Editor-in-Charge: Yan Songyang

Proofreader: Yan Zhang