Explained: What Eric Garcetti's appointment as US ambassador means for India

After more than two years, the US finally has an ambassador to India – Eric Garcetti.Garcetti, a close aide of President Joe Biden who co-chaired his 2020 presidential campaign, and the former mayor of Los Angeles, was confirmed by the US Senate on Wednesday.Kenneth Juster, the last occupant of the ambassadorial residence of the US in New Delhi, stepped down in January 2021 after the change of government in America.The Senate voted 52-42 to confirm the nomination of the 52-year-old Garcetti:Let’s take a closer look at what his appointment means for India:Garcetti is set to take over at a critical time as the relationship between India and the United States continues to deepen.India is not only the world’s largest democracy but also a major trading partner for the US.There are an estimated 2.7 million Indian immigrants living in the United States.Biden, to whom Garcetti is close, remains eager to deepen ties with India in what he has termed as a contest between free and autocratic societies.Garcetti’s appointment assumes significance for India in light of the remarks he made in December 2021 when he was a nominee for the post.https://youtu.be/-KBUjs-CqVkAs per The Hindu, Garcetti responded to a query on human rights and specifically the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) being discriminatory against Muslims by telling the Senate he had fought for such rights and that it would form a “core” part of his work in India rather than an obligation.

“It's a two-way street on these, but I intend to engage directly with civil society,” Garcetti said.

He added, “There are groups that are actively fighting for human rights of people on the ground in India that will get direct engagement from me.”According to News18, history shows that the post of the American ambassador to India is a critical one.The outlet quoted The New York Times as reporting how during India’s 1962 war with China then Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith helped facilitate supply of arms to India – which brought the countries closer together.But New Delhi has recently frustrated Washington by participating in military exercises with Russia and increasing purchases of the country's crude oil, an important source of funding for the war in Ukraine.India is also a major purchaser of Russian military equipment.As News18 notes, the lack of a full-time ambassador seems to have had an effect on ties.“To make matters worse, India and US are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war. While US has been trying to nudge India to call out Russia, it has stopped short of calling out the country and has paid heed to Delhi’s defence as well as energy concerns,” the piece notes.The piece also noted that keeping the ambassador post vacant was bad optics for both nations.On ChinaMeanwhile, tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to rise.Garcetti made some interesting remarks in 2016 when he was mayor of Los Angeles, the US’ second-largest city.According to China Daily, Garcetti said he was ‘proud’ of the fact that the Chinese became the top overseas visitors.[caption id="attachment_12263152" align="alignnone" width="640"]

Eric Garcetti is a longtime loyalist of Joe Biden. He endorsed Joe Biden for the 2020 Democratic nomination and was one of the co-chairs of Biden’s national campaign. File image/Reuters[/caption]Garcetti, who was pushing for Chinese investment during his time at the helm added "friendship transcends business" and that "deals are numbers that can be translated into relationships.""A deal is made when two people trust each other, like each other, respect each other enough to make sure they are going to do business for the next number of years," Garcetti told the outlet.Garcetti in 2016, on a two-week trade mission across three Asian countries as mayor, urged officials to raise the country’s annual cap on foreign films.“I hope the Chinese government will see (Chinese companies’) profits coming in, and their stake in more movies coming in from the West,” Garcetti said as per Reuters. “Our best advocates are going to be Chinese companies who have a stake in this opening up.”Garcetti also said he hoped the deepening business bonds would soothe government concerns.

“It’s not a cultural threat,” he said.

“Quite the contrary, it’s an integration of our two societies, both on the cultural and economic front.”He said he welcomed Chinese investment and tourism, particularly following a revision in the U.S.-China visa treaty that now allows Chinese citizens unlimited visits over a 10-year period, and dismissed comparisons to the boom-and-bust cycle of Japanese real estate investment during the late 1980s.“It’s a flawed, simplistic comparison,” he said. “Sure, there are booms and busts that can happen but I think there will be a permanence to this relationship.”‘Will make a strong, effective ambassador’Biden nominated Garcetti for the post in July 2021 but he was held up partly due to questions about his handling of allegations of sexual harassment against an aide when he was mayor.Garcetti has denied wrongdoing.

President Biden renominated Garcetti to the same position in January.

President Biden believes that the US has a crucial and consequential partnership with India and that Garcetti will make a strong and effective Ambassador, Olivia Dalton, Principal Deputy Press Secretary, told PTI.“The President thanks Chairman Menendez and Senators on both sides of the aisle for their thorough consideration and for today’s bipartisan vote to confirm Mayor Garcetti,” Dalton said.“The relationship between India and the US is a strong one, and one of great strategic, economic, and cultural importance. Founded on shared values, supported by growing economic and trade ties, and strengthened by the Indian diaspora here in the US, this partnership continues to hold significant promise for the future,” Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of Senate India Caucus, said.“As co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, I am glad that there will finally be a Senate-confirmed ambassador in New Delhi,” Warner said.Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13-8 in favour of his nomination.His nomination was not brought to the Senate floor for a vote during the last Congress as the ruling Democratic Party did not have enough support to get the close aide of Biden through.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.