The US State Department announced on Friday that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will travel to India next week, in his first visit to the largest US ally in Asia, in parallel with the rising concerns of New Delhi about the situation in Afghanistan.

The United States sees India as an important partner in efforts to counter China's behavior, and Blinken's visit will follow the visit of Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State to China, and will coincide with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to Southeast Asia.

On Wednesday in New Delhi, Blinken will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, during which he will discuss topics including "recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indo-Pacific region, Afghanistan and cooperation in the United Nations."

Blinken is likely to discuss plans for a summit of the Group of Four, which includes India, Japan, Australia and the United States, a front against China's growing influence in the region.

This year's summit is expected to focus on ways to establish infrastructure in the region in response to China's massive Belt and Road initiative.

Indian vaccines for the world

In a related context, Blinken told MSNBC on Friday that India is a "pivotal country in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic," and explained that India will eventually become a very important source of vaccines for the whole world.

"Of course they are currently focusing on the challenges they face at home, which is quite understandable, but when the (vaccines) production engine starts running at full capacity, and it can be distributed in the rest of the world, it will make a big difference," he added.

Since US President Joe Biden came to power, the United States has sought to intensify cooperation with India on the main priorities of climate change and global health, through an agreement announced last March, allowing India to produce one billion doses of an anti-Corona vaccine with the support of the United States and Japan. and Australia.