Indian police take security measures around the Canadian Embassy after Canada and India mutually expelled their diplomats in New Delhi, India on September,19 2023. Photo: AFP

The US finds itself in a difficult position and has been reacting cautiously after Canada's accusation that India may have been involved in the assassination of a Sikh activist on its soil. 

India announced the suspension of visa services for Canadian citizens, starting from Thursday, amid the escalating row over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, after the two countries expelled each other's diplomats a few days earlier.

The US has reacted cautiously to the confrontation between the two countries. According to media reports, a senior US administration official said that the White House has not issued a joint statement with Canada because it was a Canadian investigation, with National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson saying the administration was "deeply concerned" and called on India to cooperate with Canada.

The US didn't directly accuse India and support Canada because India is a crucial target in the US' strategic positioning in the Asia-Pacific region, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Roping in India will allow the US to weave its alliance network in the Asia-Pacific region more tightly, which means India occupies an absolutely leading position in the overall Asia-Pacific strategy of the US, Li said. "This move shows the US' desire to woo India to serve its geopolitical interests in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

"India is important in Western calculations for balancing China, and Canada is not," said Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international relations at Ottawa's Carleton University, Reuters reported. "This really does put Canada offside among all other Western countries," she said.

According to a Washington Post report, the White House has walked a tightrope in the aftermath of the allegations, publicly supporting Canada by urging India to cooperate with the investigation, while avoiding any repudiation of India.

Li noted that while India is a pawn in the US' Asia-Pacific strategy, Canada is both an ally and a neighbor of the US. The current approach of the White House is to not get involved in the dispute between these two countries. "For the US, the most important thing is to make sure that both Canada and India can be utilized in its global strategy, so neither can be alienated," Li said.

Canada is definitely displeased with the US' stance on this matter, and should realize that the US aims to exploit Canada rather than assist it, the expert noted.