Huizenga, however, also pointed out that India’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit held in China “raised some understandable concerns.” (Photo: X/ @RepHuizenga) US Representative Bill Huizenga, during the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee’s hearing on Wednesday, highlighted the growing strategic weight of the relationship between India and the United States and described the Washington-New Delhi partnership as “a defining relationship of the 21st century”. Huizenga, however, also pointed out that India’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit held in China in September and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi “raised some understandable concerns”.
.@RepHuizenga: China’s aggressive tactics continue to threaten the stability and commerce of the Indo-Pacific region.
To secure a free and open region, the U.S. and India must continue expanding partnerships in security, commerce, innovation, and trade. 🇺🇸🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/FZ96DC2gLj
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) December 10, 2025
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) While delivering his remarks during the subcommittee hearing titled “The US India Strategic Partnership: Securing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, the panel’s chairman Huizenga said, “The US-India relationship is no longer just important. It is a defining relationship of the 21st century…Still, we must view this moment with clear eyes. President Putin’s warm visit to India last week and India’s participation in China’s Shanghai cooperation organization summit this September raised some understandable concerns.”
Huizenga also reflected on the evolution of ties between India and the US and highlighted that the relationship has been shaped by India’s post-independence foreign policy which revolved around nonalignment. “While the partnership has been nuanced since India gained Independence in 1947, and India’s nonalignment posture shaped its strategic identity,” he said.
The House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee holds a hearing titled, ”Understanding Judea and Samaria: Historical, Strategic, and Political Dynamics in U.S.–Israel Relations.” https://t.co/M0HT7I1uwr
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) December 10, 2025
Huizenga stated that due to India’s nonaligned foreign policy identity, “Every American administration, Republican and Democrat, has strengthened ties, or certainly at least attempted to, making clear that the United States does not see India as a temporary or transactional partner.”
Apart from Huizenga, the subcommittee also heard testimony from Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director of Observer Research Foundation America who said, “This considerable progress in consolidating the relationship is now at a political standstill. The biggest obstacle concerns tariffs. President Trump’s desire to balance trade with India and access India’s market is precisely what India is offering.”
