Des Moines: Batting for deepening relationship with India, Indian-American Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said in an interview that a “stronger relationship with India would help the US declare its independence from China”.
He even backed a military relationship with New Delhi in the Andaman Sea. Ramaswamy - a multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur-turned-politician - is currently on a two-day swing to the crucial state of Iowa. On January 15, Iowa would kick off the 2024 Republican presidential primary season.
In his first interaction with the Indian media, Ramaswamy appeared to be a strong supporter of the growing India-US relationship. “I think he (PM Narendra Modi) has been a good leader for India, and I look forward to working with him on building the US-India relationship further,” Ramaswamy said in response to a question. He added, “The US should also have a stronger strategic relationship with India, including even a military relationship in the Andaman Sea. Knowing that India, if necessary, could block the Malacca Strait where actually China gets most of its Middle Eastern oil supplies. So, these are areas for real improvement in the US-India relationship. I think that would be good for the US and that’s exactly why I would lead accordingly.”
Ramaswamy’s polling numbers have gone up after the maiden presidential debate in Milwaukee on August 23. During the debate, his fellow Indian-American challenger Nikki Haley told him that he had no foreign policy experience. But Ramaswamy has developed his own vision of America’s foreign policy.