Schumer woos India as ‘counterweight’ in Asia as US-China relations sour

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Sen. Chuck Schumer defends delayed reaction to China's spy flights

Sen. Chuck Schumer defended the delayed reaction to China's spy flights on Sunday and said the U.S. gathered "enormous intelligence" before it was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday called for stronger U.S.-India relations as a way of countering China's growing authoritarian presence in Asia and around the world.

"We need nations such as India, the world’s largest democracy, to work with us to strengthen democracies in Asia and around the globe," Schumer said Monday after an hour-long meeting with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Senate Democrats in New Delhi, India.

"In our meeting with Prime Minister Modi, we stressed that close ties between our two countries would be a crucial counterweight to outcompete China and responding to its authoritarianism," Schumer said. "India is one of the leading powers of the world and a strong U.S.-India relationship is a must for democracy, technology advancement, and a strong world economy."

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Schumer was joined by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Mark Warner, D-Va., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., and Peter Welch, D-Vt.

"Wonderful to interact with US Congressional delegation led by Senate Majority Leader @SenSchumer," Modi stated in a tweet Monday.

SCHUMER DEFENDS DELAYED REACTION TO CHINA'S SPY FLIGHTS, SAYS US GAINED ‘ENORMOUS INTELLIGENCE’

"Appreciate the strong bipartisan support from the US Congress for deepening India-US ties anchored in shared democratic values and strong people-to-people ties," he said.

The India trip marks Schumer's second overseas travel in his 24-year career, and his first since taking over as Senate majority leader in 2021. The meetings, with a focus on competition with China, come just days after U.S. missiles took out a Chinese surveillance balloon carrying sensors and surveillance equipment off the Atlantic coast earlier this month after allowing it to drift over the continental U.S.

That incident has strained U.S.-China relations and has prompted Chinese officials to argue the U.S. soured relations by deciding to shoot down what China insists was a weather research balloon.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday called for stronger U.S.-India relations as a way of countering China's growing authoritarian presence in Asia and around the world. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

During an appearance on ABC’s "This Week," Schumer said he was confident with the Biden administration’s response to the Chinese spy flight program.

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"Look, I think the Chinese were humiliated," he said. "I think the Chinese were caught lying, and I think it's a real, it's a real setback for them."

Fox News Digital's Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.