‘We don’t come enough’ to India, says Rubio on return visit; flags region’s role in shaping 21st-century history

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he believed Washington should visit India more often, using a question about his return to the country just four months after his previous visit to underscore India's importance as a geopolitical partner and the region's growing influence over the course of the 21st century.

“I actually think we don’t come enough,” Rubio said at the ‘Freedom 250 Reception’ in Mumbai on Tuesday, explaining that India was the world’s most populous nation, the world’s oldest democracy and a key strategic partner of the United States.

Rubio said the 21st century would be shaped by developments in the region, adding that the relationship between Washington and New Delhi was helping define what the century could look like.


“The 21st century will be defined for better and for worse by what happens in this region,” he said.

Rubio highlighted technological innovation, trade and security in the Indo-Pacific as areas where the two countries shared core interests. He said the rapid development of superintelligence and quantum computing presented a challenge to harness their benefits while mitigating potential harm, adding that the US and India had the expertise and talent to work towards that goal.

He also called for free and unfettered trade, open sea lanes and a secure Indo-Pacific, saying no country should claim dominance over international shipping routes.

Acknowledging that the two countries would not agree on every issue, Rubio described their alignment on matters central to their national interests as “extraordinary”.

Speaking at the reception, attended by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and a bipartisan congressional delegation, Rubio said decisions being made today in geopolitics, economics and trade would shape the lives of future generations.

The event was part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Rubio said the focus was not only on commemorating America's achievements but also on what the two countries could accomplish together over the next 250 years.