Pune: External affairs ministry secretary Periasamy Kumaran on Saturday said India’s ties with the United States had undergone a structural transformation, marked by deeper engagement while preserving autonomy. He described the relationship with China as most complex bilateral challenge.“The partnership today is robust yet deliberately non-aligned, a critical nuance,” Kumaran said during his address at the International Relations Conference organized by Symbiosis International University and Symbiosis School of International Studies in collaboration with the ministry of external affairs in Pune.He said the India-US relationship was shaped by shared strategic priorities in areas like Indo-Pacific security, supply chain resilience, critical technologies, digital governance and maritime stability.Turning to China, Kumaran said, “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.”On Europe, he highlighted converging interests rooted in plural democracy and market economies. Kumaran said both sides aimed to de-risk supply chains, build trusted technology ecosystems and safeguard open societies against authoritarian and digital threats. “Ambitions like an India-EU free trade agreement and cooperation on green and digital transitions underscore this expanding agenda,” he said.“The defining challenge of our era is to preserve space for independent decision-making amid global conflicts—from Ukraine to West Asia—that are reshaping alignments,” Kumaran said, adding, “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 said India sought to co-author the vocabulary of emerging global norms — on connectivity, climate change, technology and maritime governance — rather than being a passive recipient. “Over the past decade, India has reoriented its foreign policy around strategic autonomy in an interconnected world — engaging widely, aligning with none, and remaining firmly anchored in national interest,” Kumaran added.
