New Delhi: Democratic Party's Presidential candidate Joe Biden, who seems to be inching closure to the White House, will be more liberal and institutional in conduct of foreign relations, including grant of visa to foreign nationals, unlike President Donald Trump who acted in a unilateral manner and adopted a tough visa policy, which affected Indian professionals, said a top diplomat.
While talking about the future of security cooperation between the two democracies under a new US administration, Meera Shankar, who was India's top diplomat in the United States during President Barack Obama's tenure, said Joe Biden will follow the template crafted by President Obama as US strengthens is alliance and military bases in the region to face an aggressive China.
"I think the strategic trajectory of Indo-US relations will continue to grow because both countries have increasing convergence of interest in the Indo-Pacific region, the concern being China's assertive and aggressive behaviour as we have seen in our borders in Ladakh. I think that will continue," said Meera Shankar.
Talking about the continued defence and security cooperation between the two countries under different US administrations, the former ambassador said, it was President Obama who granted the status of major defence partner to India which was later taken forward during President Trump's tenure.
"In fact, the idea of 2+2 ministerial between the defence and foreign ministers of both the countries was first proposed by Hillary Clinton during my tenure but India was not ready at that time," said the diplomat who interacted closely with top US leaders, including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton between 2009 and 2011.
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Meera Shankar also credits Biden for bringing the Democratic Party around to support the historic Indo-US Nuclear Deal as part of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee during the tenure of Republican President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In March 2006, US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement which allowed the US companies to participate in India's civilian nuclear sector.
"When he was with the Senate's foreign relations committee, he helped to steer the Indo-US Nuclear Deal in the Senate and deliver the democrats for that," the diplomat told ETV Bharat.