NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Thursday met a bipartisan group of US lawmakers that visited Dharamshala this week and called on the Dalai Lama. The lawmakers, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, were also hosted by foreign minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday night after their return from Dharamshala.
Jaishankar acknowledged the “strong and continued” support from the lawmakers for the India-US strategic partnership.The delegation’s visit to Dharamshala drew China’s ire, with Beijing urging the Americans to fully recognise the “anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group”, honour commitments the US has made to China on issues related to Tibet, and stop sending a wrong signal to the world. Their meetings with Indian leaders will likely raise China’s hackles too.
The delegation members congratulated Modi on his election for a historic third consecutive term. “They expressed deep appreciation for the scale, fairness and transparency of the recently concluded world’s largest democratic electoral exercise in India,” govt said in a statement.
The delegation described India-US relations as the most consequential one and expressed their strong support for further deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership in all areas, including trade, new and emerging technology, defence and people-to-people exchanges.
“The Prime Minister highlighted the significant role played by the consistent and bipartisan support of the US Congress in advancing India-US ties, which are based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law and strong people-to-people ties. He reiterated commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations for the global good,” the Indian readout said.
Last week, the US Congress had passed a bill urging Beijing to have dialogue with the Tibetan leaders in exile, who have been seeking more autonomy for Tibet. “This bill is a message to the Chinese govt that we have clarity in our thinking and our understanding of this issue of the freedom of Tibet,” said Pelosi, addressing a public ceremony outside Dalai Lama’s residence.