New Delhi: US Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill in the American Congress on Friday aimed at enhancing the US-India partnership and countering China’s increasing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
“To strengthen our partnership with India, we must enhance our strategic relationship with New Delhi. I introduced a bill to support India best as they continue to face aggression from Communist China,” Rubio announced on X (formerly Twitter).
The bill proposes to treat India on par with US allies such as Japan, Israel, South Korea, and NATO allies in terms of technology transfers and support for India’s response to threats to its territorial integrity. Additionally, it seeks to bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India.
“Communist China continues to aggressively expand its domain in the Indo-Pacific region, all while seeking to impede the sovereignty and autonomy of our regional partners. The US must support and counter these malicious tactics. India and other nations in the region are not alone,” Rubio stated after introducing the US-India Defense Cooperation Act in the Senate.
While the bill is unlikely to make significant progress in the current Congress due to the short timeline and political divisions, given the bipartisan support for the India-US relationship, it may be reintroduced in the next Congress.
The bill outlines a Statement of Policy that the US will support India’s response to growing threats to its territorial integrity, provide necessary security assistance to deter adversaries and cooperate with India in various areas, including defense, civil space, technology, medicine, and economic investments. If passed, the bill would provide a limited exemption for India from CAATSA sanctions for purchases of Russian equipment currently used by the Indian military.
The proposed legislation would authorize the Secretary of State to enter a memorandum of understanding with India to increase military cooperation, expedite excess defense articles to India for two years, and grant India the same status as other allies. It also aims to expand International Military Education and Training Cooperation with New Delhi.
