KOLKATA (AFP) — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began his first visit to India on Saturday, seeking to reinforce ties with a key US partner days after President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Rubio opened his four-day trip in Kolkata, where he visited the headquarters of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later Saturday in New Delhi.
The visit includes talks with foreign ministers from the Quad — Australia, India, Japan and the United States — a grouping widely seen as a counterweight to China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.
China has long criticized the Quad as an attempt to contain Beijing.
Rubio’s trip follows Trump’s state visit to China last week, where the president described the United States and China as a potential “G2,” raising concerns among US allies about Washington’s shifting priorities.
Rubio, a longtime supporter of closer US-India ties during his Senate career, said it was his first trip to India. He is traveling with his wife, Jeanette, and is also expected to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Speaking earlier in Sweden, Rubio called India a “great ally, great partner” and said Washington hoped to expand oil sales to the country.
India, heavily dependent on energy imports, has faced rising oil costs after Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following US-Israeli strikes.
The conflict has complicated regional alliances. India maintains longstanding ties with Iran while also deepening relations with Israel under Modi.