World News: Jake Sullivan, outgoing National Security Advisor (NSA) to President Joe Biden, and Michael Waltz, the incoming NSA for President-elect Donald Trump, both agreed that China poses the most significant long-term strategic challenge for the United States. Sullivan and Waltz highlighted India as a crucial partner in countering China’s aggressive tactics, especially concerning its economic measures and influence in key regions like the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
During a conversation at the "Passing the Baton 2025" event at the US Institute of Peace, Waltz emphasized his leadership role as the co-chair of the India Caucus in the U.S. Congress. He underscored the importance of India in America’s strategic competition with China, calling it a “critical partner for the future.” Waltz also pointed out that India would play a central role in strengthening the U.S.'s position within the broader Indo-Pacific strategy, including key alliances like the Quad and AUKUS.
India is a 'critical partnership in future', says US incoming NSA Mike Waltz
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 15, 2025
Vdo ctsy: US institute of Peace, Passing the Baton event https://t.co/uQijz1MBcu pic.twitter.com/pa0ZVGaOS3
Sullivan humorously commented on the excitement around Waltz’s position as the co-chair of the India Caucus, saying that his wife’s recent election to Congress could see him heading the “India Spouses Caucus,” to which the audience responded with laughter. Despite the joke, both Sullivan and Waltz were united in their view of India’s importance in the future geopolitical landscape.
Both former and incoming NSA officials acknowledged the pressing need to focus on the long-term competition with China. Sullivan stressed that the U.S. must continue to invest domestically, rally its allies, and combat China's unfair economic practices. Waltz echoed this, citing critical issues like the U.S. dependency on China for pharma ingredients and minerals, which the U.S. needs to address by re-shaping supply chains and fostering partnerships in the Western Hemisphere and among allies like Japan, South Korea, and India.
Sullivan emphasized that the U.S. needs a robust China strategy, which includes safeguarding American technological advancements while ensuring that China does not flood the global market with overproduced goods to undercut U.S. workers and supply chains. He also noted that China’s current economic challenges were shaping its aggressive foreign policies.
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