(Washington) The United States on Wednesday congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his victory in the legislative elections, saying he wanted to work for a “free and open” Asia.
“Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, as well as to the nearly 650 million voters who participated in this historic election,” President Joe Biden wrote on the X Network, referring to “a common future with unlimited potential.”
The US president also had a telephone contact with the Indian prime minister during which they spoke, according to a White House statement, of their determination to “deepen the strategic partnership” between the two countries and to “promote their shared vision of a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”
A “free and open” region is a reference to the United States’ term for an Asia-Pacific region that is free from influences, a veiled way of criticizing China and its economic, territorial and strategic ambitions in the region.
The discussion between the two leaders also focused on the upcoming visit to New Delhi by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, according to the statement.
Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalist party agreed on Wednesday with its allies to form a government coalition, after legislative elections in which it failed to obtain an absolute majority.
In the world’s most populous country, some 642 million people voted in the six-week poll.
India is a member of the “Quad” alongside the United States, Australia and Japan. This defense cooperation alliance positions itself as a bulwark against China’s increasingly assertive ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.
This American support comes despite growing criticism from human rights groups and some on the left wing of Mr. Biden’s Democratic Party over what they see as a rise in the Indian leader’s authoritarianism.
President Biden himself recently described India as a “xenophobic” country that refuses immigrants, alongside China, Russia and Japan, arousing the ire of New Delhi.