At the present juncture of global power shifts, the visit of US Vice President J D Vance and his wife is of high strategic importance to India and South Asian politics. Just measure it up against the backdrop indicating high growth trajectory of US-India partnership marked by the buoyancy of successive highlevel visits in 2025. It began with PM Modi’s official working visit to Washington in mid-February 2025 shortly after Donald Trump’s ascent to presidency.

Then Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard visited New Delhi for a high-profile Raisina dialogue followed by an US delegation led by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Andrew Herrup, and now the visit of Mr. and Mrs Vance. The frequency of these visits underscores the deepening ties between the United States and India, particularly in areas of strategic cooperation and economic partnership. Let us not forget that President Trump’s aggressive tariff policy has kickstarted tensions in bilateral trade with wider ramifications, under which many Indian sectors from pharma to iron and steel, textiles and precious stones, will henceforth face tariff hikes.

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Amid this growing unease, Vance’s visit is expected to generate optimism and strengthen relations, with discussions likely to focus on key issues such as the trade situation, regional security, and even might include technological collaboration, although the US has some deeper reservations about integrating India into the Western technological architecture which will operate against revisionist powers. However, the exuberance over their engagements comes at a crucial time when both nations are seeking to counterbalance China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, the recent pro-Chinese tilt in........

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