Lawmakers meet with Indian PM Modi amid tensions with China

A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) met with recently re-elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.

On a post on social platformModi said he had “a very good exchange of views with friends” from Congress and added that he “deeply values ​​the strong bipartisan support in advancing the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.”

The delegation also held meetings with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The meeting with Modi, who was re-elected for a third term in June, comes a day after lawmakers met with the Dalai Lama. China, which does not recognize Tibetan government officials including the Dalai Lama, strongly rebuked the meeting.

The lawmakers said their visit was aimed at highlighting the Tibet Disputes Law passed last week, which encouraged China to restore ties with the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders.

The meeting also comes on the heels of a joint statement by the United States and India committing to increased cooperation with each other in defense technology and innovation.

India and the US have grown closer recently as both countries look warily at China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. Modi was honored with a state visit last year, where he and President Biden called the India-US relationship one of the most important in the world.

The delegation to India included former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Nicole Malliotakis (RN.Y.).

The Associated Press contributed.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story