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US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in New Delhi. Indian media noted that Sullivan's trip comes amid power transition in Washington.

Before the talks with Modi, Sullivan has met with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, as the two sides have discussed enhancing bilateral, regional and global cooperation, according to NDTV. 

In meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday, Sullivan has deliberated on the implementation of the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), billed as one of the very significant initiatives rolled out during Biden's presidency to expand India-US strategic ties, Indian media reported. 

In a speech at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Sullivan emphasized the growing strategic and economic partnership between the two nations. The Indian Today said Sullivan's speech painted an optimistic picture of the India-US partnership as a cornerstone of global stability and innovation.

"Seeing the recent improvement in China-India ties, the US is worried that it may weaken India's role in containing China; therefore, the US hopes to take this opportunity to strengthen its relationship with India, reaffirm the foundation of their cooperation, and exploit potential issues to drive a wedge between Beijing and New Delhi," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday.

During the final phase of the Biden administration, Sullivan's visit is also aimed at consolidating Biden's diplomatic legacy, Qian said. Over the past four years, US-India relations have developed comprehensively across various fields, driven primarily by Washington's geopolitical considerations, especially in Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy, in which India has played an important role, the expert explained.

Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, added that Sullivan's visit also aims to draw India closer, encouraging the South Asian country to promote its functionality in QUAD and maintain a confrontational stance in its China policy. 

Meanwhile, by hyping the "China threat" narrative, Washington looks to highlight its "uniqueness" in regional affairs, Li told the Global Times on Monday. "This fear of stability reflects a distinct characteristic of the US approach to China-India relations, with the aim of creating regional turmoil to serve its own strategic interests," Li said. 

With efforts from both sides, the relationship between China and India has been thawing. In the first time in five years, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their formal talks in October 2024 on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit, a move that has strategic significance for the recovery of China-India ties after the border tensions. 

In December 2024, the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for China-India Boundary Question was held in Beijing where six points of consensus were reached. Both sides positively evaluated the resolution and reaffirmed the need to continue implementing the agreement.

In managing its relationship with the US and China, Qian believes India may seek a balance between the two powers. India hopes to break the deadlock with China on border issues; while also seeking to engage in more pragmatic economic cooperation with China to promote its own economic development. 

Moreover, India's efforts to improve ties with China reflect its strategic considerations to hedge against the uncertainties with the upcoming new US administration, Qian said.

"India possesses enough strategic wisdom not to be easily exploited by the US," added Li, referring to India's long-standing tradition of non-alignment and a strong sense of independence.