Washington, Sep 19 (NationPress) Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra met with House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) to discuss the critical importance of the India-US relationship.

As stated by the Select Committee, during their meeting on Thursday, they addressed topics such as regional security, manufacturing, trade, and the collaborative efforts to “shift critical manufacturing from China to India.”

Moolenaar described India as an “essential partner for global security” that has faced the Chinese Communist Party’s “aggression first-hand.”

“India is the world’s largest democracy and an essential partner for global stability. It has experienced CCP aggression first-hand and is a major US security partner with an increasingly close defense industrial relationship that helps protect the American people,” he remarked.

Additionally, Moolenaar recognized New Delhi as a global leader in “countering malign CCP-directed technology and social media companies.”

“It [India] understands that it cannot remain a free and secure nation if it allows the CCP to manipulate and control information to its populace. Today’s meeting with Ambassador Kwatra reaffirmed the US-India strategic partnership, and I am optimistic that our two nations will continue to strengthen our friendship based on shared values,” Moolenaar stated.

The Committee’s statement emphasized India’s prohibition of TikTok and other Chinese applications following the 2020 clashes in the Galwan Valley between Indian and Chinese troops.

They also reviewed the “security partnership of Quad” and initiatives to “counter the Chinese Communist Party’s expansionist goals.”

This meeting occurred shortly after Vinay Kwatra engaged with the US Undersecretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby, at the Pentagon.

“Had a productive conversation with the insightful Elbridge Colby. We reviewed the current agenda and outlined actionable steps on various initiatives in the pipeline for India-US defense cooperation. I value his deep knowledge, perspective, and unwavering support for our strategic partnership,” Kwatra posted on X.

Colby also shared his thoughts on the meeting, calling it a “valuable discussion.”

“I was very pleased to host @AmbVMKwatra at the Pentagon earlier this week for a valuable discussion. We at the Department of War are eager to further enhance our critical defense cooperation with India,” he tweeted.