File photo: US secretary of state Marco Rubio is set to visit Mumbai and Jamnagar from October 17-22
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel next week to Mumbai and Gujarat’s refinery hub Jamnagar, announced the State Department. The brief stopover in Jamnagar, which will see him touring the Reliance oil refinery, is being seen through the lens of Reliance’s plans to invest in a major refinery in Texas, the first of its kind in 50 years in the US and a major priority for the Trump administration.The announcement about Rubio’s Jamnagar visit came days after billionaire Elon Musk’s social media jab – addressing Mukesh Ambani as PM Ambani and the real boss of India – over alleged regulatory delays being faced by the Musk-controlled satellite internet service provider Starlink.This will be Rubio’s second visit to India this year, following his trip to Delhi in May for a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers.
Energy is likely to be a key focus area for Rubio during his visit beginning Monday.“He will meet with senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, exchange views on regional and global dynamics, and discuss prospects for enhanced energy cooperation. Secretary Rubio will also meet with business leaders to promote opportunities for commercial investment and economic cooperation,” said the State Department in its announcement.
Rubio is also expected to have a bilateral meeting with his counterpart S Jaishankar in Mumbai. The visit comes shortly after another round of tensions over the talent mobility issue, with the US suspending firms, including many from India, from the PERM green card programme. India had strongly condemned remarks by US Vice President J D Vance, who characterized foreign tech workers as foreign indentured servants, calling the statement deeply offensive and unjustified.India had responded angrily to Vice President J D Vance’s remarks describing tech professionals from abroad as foreign indentured servants, calling his remarks deeply offensive and unwarranted.India is also likely to bring up its concerns related to the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (SRIA) that empowers the president to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on countries importing Russian oil. That threat may have subsided for now though with the US itself allowing Russia to temporarily export diesel to America and global marketplace.
India is expected to reiterate its position that energy security and stable markets must take precedence over rigid geopolitics.Rubio’s visit will also mark the beginning of several high-level engagements between the 2 sides in the next few months. The ministers will meet again on the margins of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta on October 30-31. Another meeting of the Quad foreign ministers will also take place on the sidelines.
PM Narendra Modi will also travel to Florida for the G20 summit in Florida on December 14-15. He is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Trump. There’s also the possibility of a Quad leaders’ summit taking place during Modi’s US visit.While the foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta would be the 4th such meeting since the return of Trump to the White House, a leaders’ summit remains elusive. During his visit to India in May, Rubio had described Quad as linchpin and a cornerstone of the US global strategy as a nation. However, there has been no word so far on the dates and likely venue for the next leaders’ summit.