US secretary of state Antony Blinken and secretary of defence Lloyd Austin will visit India for the government-hosted 5th 2+2 ministerial conversation, which takes place on November 10. The two nations are anticipated to reaffirm their commitment to their Indo-Pacific cooperation and global partnership during the dialogue, despite rising geopolitical tensions and significant disagreements over Canada's attempts to link the Indian government to the killing of a terrorist from Khalistani province in British Columbia.
PM Modi will, however, not travel to San Francisco for the APEC summit mid-November and instead nominate someone else. During Modi’s visit to the US in June, President Biden had invited India to be the guest of the host. The campaign for the assembly polls will likely keep Modi occupied around the time of the meet, where the focus will be on Biden’s meeting on the margins with Chinese President Jinping.
PM Modi will also be spared the trouble of coming face to face with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in the middle of a standoff that saw India expelling 41 Canadian diplomats.
Although the US has adopted what appears to be a pro-Canada stance, stating that Trudeau's assertions regarding Indian complicity in the assassination of terrorists from Khalistani are supported by shared intelligence, the 2+2 meeting will probably serve as a reminder that disagreements over Canada won't slow the progress of bilateral relations.