NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that India is not among the countries who are “nervous” as Donald Trump is set to return to White House after defeating Kamala Harris in the US presidential elections.
“I know today a lot of countries are nervous about the US. Let’s be honest about it. We are not one of them,” Jaishankar said while speaking at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Aditya Birla Group Scholarships Programme in Mumbai.
In response to a question on the reset in the global power dynamic that was playing out amid the shift in the balance of power from the West to the East, Jaishankar remarked, “Yes, there is a shift. We are ourselves an example of the shift. If you look at our economic weight, you look at our economic ranking, you look at even Indian corporates, their reach, their presence, Indian professionals, which I spoke about. So no question there is a rebalancing.”
He explained that this change was expected, saying, “And to my mind, it was inevitable because once these countries after the colonial period got their independence, they started making their own policy choices, then they were bound to grow.”
Nevertheless, Jaishankar pointed out that western industrialised nations maintain significant influence globally. “But do remember one thing, the older, the western economies, the older industrialised economies, they have not gone away. They still count, they are still prime investment targets. They are big markets, strong technology centres, hubs for innovation. So let’s recognise the shift, but let’s not get carried away and kind of overstate it and distort our own understanding of the world,” the minister said.
When asked about the impact of the recent US presidential election on Indo-US relations, Jaishankar highlighted PM Modi’s consistent ability to establish strong connections with US Presidents, from Barack Obama through Donald Trump to Joe Biden. “The Prime Minister was among the first three calls I think that President Trump took. Prime Minister Modi has actually built rapport across multiple presidents. When he first visited DC, Obama was the president, then it was Trump, then it was Biden. So, you know, for him (PM Modi), there’s something natural in terms of how he forges those relationships. So, that’s helped hugely,” Jaishankar said in his response.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s victory on November 5 against vice president Kamala Harris secured his return to the White House. PM Modi’s subsequent telephone conversation with “friend Donald Trump” on November 6 included congratulations for both his presidential win and the Republican Party’s Congressional success.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the strong trust Americans placed in Trump’s leadership and vision. He recalled significant events like the Howdy Modi event in Houston in September 2019 and the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad in February 2020.
“Heartiest congratulations my friend Donald Trump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi shared on X.