India's relationship with the United States has undergone a fundamental structural transformation while maintaining strategic autonomy, according to a senior diplomat's significant address in Pune on Saturday.
Structural Shift in India-US Partnership
Periasamy Kumaran, Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs, declared that the India-US partnership has evolved into a robust yet deliberately non-aligned relationship during his keynote speech at the International Relations Conference. The event was organized by Symbiosis International University and Symbiosis School of International Studies in collaboration with the external affairs ministry.
Kumaran emphasized that this transformed relationship is built on shared strategic priorities across multiple domains, including Indo-Pacific security frameworks, supply chain resilience mechanisms, critical technologies development, digital governance standards, and maritime stability initiatives.
Navigating Complex China Relations
The senior diplomat described India's relationship with China as the most complex bilateral challenge facing the nation. He revealed that border tensions since 2020 have fundamentally altered the strategic balance between the two Asian giants.
"Border tensions since 2020 have fundamentally altered the balance, forcing India to reassess assumptions on border management, economic interdependence and technology flows, even as dialogue channels remain open," Kumaran stated during his comprehensive address.
Expanding European Cooperation
Turning to European relations, Kumaran highlighted the converging interests rooted in plural democracy and market economies. He outlined mutual objectives including de-risking global supply chains, building trusted technology ecosystems, and safeguarding open societies against authoritarian and digital threats.
The diplomat pointed to ambitious initiatives like an India-EU free trade agreement and enhanced cooperation on green and digital transitions as evidence of the expanding bilateral agenda.
Strategic Autonomy in Global Conflicts
Kumaran identified the preservation of independent decision-making space as the defining challenge of the current era, particularly amid global conflicts from Ukraine to West Asia that are reshaping international alignments.
"India's response has been a mature, interest-driven strategic autonomy that rejects isolation and bloc politics while upholding principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-intervention," he explained.
The secretary emphasized that India aims to actively co-author the vocabulary of emerging global norms across connectivity frameworks, climate change policies, technology standards, and maritime governance rather than being a passive recipient of established rules.
Kumaran concluded by noting that over the past decade, India has systematically reoriented its foreign policy around strategic autonomy in an interconnected world — engaging widely with global partners, aligning with none exclusively, and remaining firmly anchored in national interest.
