India-US Must Deepen Ties to Counter China Challenge: Raja Krishnamoorthi

China challenge requires deeper India-US cooperation, says Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IANS Interview)

Washington, July 28

"I think India, like the United States, needs to step up to the challenge. Okay. It's not doing enough. It can do more," Krishnamoorthi said in an interview with IANS.

He described the strategic competition with China as a defining test for both democracies.

"The China challenge is the defining challenge of our time," he said. "And the question is, are we going to rise to the occasion and be the best version of ourselves as a country? Right now, we are not."

Krishnamoorthi said India and the United States should work together on emerging technologies. He identified fusion energy, solar power, quantum technology and artificial intelligence as promising areas.

"I think technology's the future," he said. "I think we should work together on technologies of the future, whether it's fusion, whether it's solar, whether it's quantum, whether it's artificial intelligence, whether it's on security issues."

The Congressman said success would also require both countries to strengthen their democracies and reduce internal divisions.

"We have to do everything we can to reduce division, reduce any form of discrimination toward anybody, anywhere," he said. "And if we can do that, then I have no doubt that we will succeed."

Turning to alleged Chinese influence in the United States, Krishnamoorthi said there was no evidence Beijing had interfered with the counting or tabulation of votes.

"They considered it, but they didn't do it," he said. "That being said, it's always a concern."

He said Chinese influence operations were often subtle and conducted at the local level, including through social media and attempts to shape the views of opinion-makers.

Krishnamoorthi also linked American competitiveness against China to immigration policy. He criticised the treatment of H-1B workers, many of whom are Indian professionals, and called for greater certainty over their path to permanent residency.

"For the million people who've been waiting patiently in queue to get their green card, we should do everything we can to expedite this process, especially again, for those people who've been here for decades," he said.

He said reforms to the system may be needed but should be pursued on a bipartisan basis. Long-term visa holders, he added, could create businesses, jobs and technologies essential to American prosperity.

Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat who has represented Illinois' 8th Congressional District since 2017, was born in New Delhi and raised in the United States. He has been a leading congressional voice on strategic competition with China and US technology policy.

— IANS