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Artificial intelligence -- which encompasses everything from service robots to medical diagnostic tools to your Alexaspeaker -- is a fast-growing field that is increasingly playing a more critical role in many aspects of our lives. A country's AI prowess has major implications for how its citizens live and work -- and its economic and military strength moving into the future.

With so much at stake, the narrative of an AI "arms race" between the US and China has been brewing for years. Dramatic headlines suggest that China is poised to take the lead in AI research and use, due to its national plan for AI domination and the billions of dollars the government has invested in the field, compared with the US' focus on private-sector development.

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But the reality is that at least until the past year or so, the two nations have been largely interdependent when it comes to this technology. It's an area that has drawn attention and investment from major tech heavy hitters on both sides of the Pacific, including Apple, Google and Facebook in the US and SenseTime, Megvii and YITU Technology in China.

Generation China is a CNET series that looks at the areas of technology where the country is looking to take a leadership position.

"Narratives of an 'arms race' are overblown and poor analogies for what is actually going on in the AI space," said Jeffrey Ding, the China lead for the Center for the Governance of AI at the University of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute. When you look at factors like research, talent and company alliances, you'll find that the US and Chinese AI ecosystems are still very entwined, Ding added.

But the combination of political tensions and the rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout both nations is fueling more of a separation, which will have implications for both advances in the technology and the world's power dynamics for years to come.

"These new technologies will be game-changers in the next three to five years," said Georg Stieler, managing director of Stieler Enterprise Management Consulting China. "The people who built them and control them will also control parts of the world. You cannot ignore it."

You can trace China's ramp up in AI interest back to a few key moments starting four years ago.

The first was in March 2016, when AlphaGo -- a machine-learning system built by Google's DeepMind that uses algorithms and reinforcement learning to train on massive datasets and predict outcomes -- beat the human Go world champion Lee Sedol. This was broadcast throughout China and sparked a lot of interest -- both highlighting how quickly the technology was advancing, and suggesting that because Go involves war-like strategies and tactics, AI could potentially be useful for decision-making around warfare.

The second moment came seven months later, when President Barack Obama's administration released three reports on preparing for a future with AI, laying out a national strategic planand describing the potential economic impacts(all PDFs). Some Chinese policymakers took those reports as a sign that the US was further ahead in its AI strategy than expected.

This culminated in July 2017, when the Chinese government under President Xi Jinping released a development plan for the nation to become the world leader in AI by 2030, including investing billions of dollars in AI startups and research parks.

In 2016, professional Go player Lee Sedol lost a five-game match against Google's AI program AlphaGo.

"China has observed how the IT industry originates from the US and exerts soft influence across the world through various Silicon Valley innovations," said Lian Jye Su, principal analyst at global tech market advisory firm ABI Research. "As an economy built solely on its manufacturing capabilities, China is eager to find a way to diversify its economy and provide more innovative ways to showcase its strengths to the world. AI is a good way to do it."

Despite the competition, the two nations have long worked together. China has masses of data and far more lax regulations around using it, so it can often implement AI trials faster -- but the nation still largely relies on US semiconductors and open source software to power AI and machine learning algorithms.

And while the US has the edge when it comes to quality research, universities and engineering talent, top AI programs at schools like Stanford and MIT attract many Chinese students, who then often go on to work for Google, Microsoft, Apple and Facebook -- all of which have spent the last few years acquiring startups to bolster their AI work.

China's fears about a grand US AI plan didn't really come to fruition. In February 2019, US President Donald Trump released an American AI Initiative executive order, calling for heads of federal agencies to prioritize AI research and development in 2020 budgets. It didn't provide any new funding to support those measures, however, or many details on how to implement those plans. And not much else has happened at the federal level since then.

Meanwhile, China plowed on, with AI companies like SenseTime, Megvii and YITU Technology raising billions. But investments in AI in China dropped in 2019, as theUS-China trade war escalated and hurt investor confidence in China, Su said. Then, in January, the Trump administration made it harder for US companies to export certain types of AI software in an effort to limit Chinese access to American technology.

Just a couple weeks later, Chinese state media reported the first known death from an illness that would become known as COVID-19.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, China has turned to some of its AI and big data tools in attempts to ward off the virus, including contact tracing, diagnostic tools anddrones to enforce social distancing. Not all of it, however, is as it seems.

"There was a lot of propaganda -- in February, I saw people sharing on Twitter and LinkedIn stories about drones flying along high rises, and measuring the temperature of people standing at the window, which was complete bollocks," Stieler said. "The reality is more like when you want to enter an office building in Shanghai, your temperature is taken."

A staff member introduces an AI digital infrared thermometer at a building in Beijing in March.

The US and other nations are grappling with the same technologies -- and the privacy, security and surveillance concerns that come along with them -- as they look to contain the global pandemic, said Elsa B. Kania, adjunct fellow with the Center for a New American Security's Technology and National Security Program, focused on Chinese defense innovation and emerging technologies.

"The ways in which China has been leveraging AI to fight the coronavirus are in various respects inspiring and alarming," Kania said. "It'll be important in the United States as we struggle with these challenges ourselves to look to and learn from that model, both in terms of what we want to emulate and what we want to avoid."

The pandemic may be a turning point in terms of the US recognizing the risks of interdependence with China, Kania said. The immediate impact may be in sectors like pharmaceuticals and medical equipment manufacturing. But it will eventually influence AI, as a technology that cuts across so many sectors and applications.

Despite the economic impacts of the virus, global AI investments are forecast to grow from $22.6 billion in 2019 to $25 billion in 2020, Su said. The bigger consequence may be on speeding the process of decoupling between the US and China, in terms of AI and everything else.

The US still has advantages in areas like semiconductors and AI chips. But in the midst of the trade war, the Chinese government is reducing its reliance on foreign technologies, developing domestic startups and adopting more open-source solutions, Su said. Cloud AI giants like Alibaba, for example, are using open-source computing models to develop their own data center chips. Chinese chipset startups like Cambricon Technologies, Horizon Robotics and Suiyuan Technology have also entered the market in recent years and garnered lots of funding.

But full separation isn't on the horizon anytime soon. One of the problems with referring to all of this as an AI arms race is that so many of the basic platforms, algorithms and even data sources are open-source, Kania said. The vast majority of the AI developers in China use Google TensorFlow or Facebook PyTorch, Stieler added -- and there's little incentive to join domestic options that lack the same networks.

The US remains the world's AI superpower for now, Su and Ding said. But ultimately, the trade war may do more harm to American AI-related companies than expected, Kania said.

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"My main concern about some of these policy measures and restrictions has been that they don't necessarily consider the second-order effects, including the collateral damage to American companies, as well as the ways in which this may lessen US leverage or create much more separate or fragmented ecosystems," Kania said. "Imposing pain on Chinese companies can be disruptive, but in ways that can in the long term perhaps accelerate these investments and developments within China."

Still, "'arms race' is not the best metaphor," Kania added. "It's clear that there is geopolitical competition between the US and China, and our competition extends to these emerging technologies including artificial intelligence that are seen as highly consequential to the futures of our societies' economies and militaries."

Excerpt from:
The US, China and the AI arms race: Cutting through the hype - CNET

Were all mad here.

Thats right Cheshire Cat, we are all mad here, thats why well be enjoying our bottle of bubbly in a teacup, this Mad Hatter has a treat of an article for you to celebrate Alices Day, a day dedicated to imagination, madness and suit wearing bunny rabbits.

If you so choose to jump down the rabbit hole, we celebrate Alices Day on the 4th of July, the first time the story was told, so lets discover the origin of Alice in Wonderland, then well enjoy a cup of Sparkling Wine. #AliceInWonderlandDay

Why, sometimes Ive believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

The first time a story which resembled the Alice in Wonderland we know today was told was on July 4th 1862 by a man named, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) on the River Thames, he was on a boat trip with his friend Reverend Robinson Duckworth, along with Alice, Lorina and Edith Liddell.

At the time Alice Liddell was only ten years old, and as you may have guessed, Alice Liddell became the inspiration for the name Alice in Wonderland, the Liddell girls enjoyed Charless story so much that they kept asking him to tell it again and again, and to write it down, as he knows we did, I mean, as we did he knows, no, thats not right. as we know he did, what is the hatter with me.

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wrote multiple versions of his story before publishing, adding new characters each time, its amazing to know the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat were not in his first version, but thankfully, they were added before his book was ready to be published.

No wonder youre late, why this watch is exactly two days slow.

Some other characters that were added were named after Alices sisters and himself, the birds Lory and Eaglet were named after Lorina and Edith and the Dodo bird was named after Charles last name, Dodgson.

Who in the world am I? Ah, thats the great puzzle!

As many authors do, he ended up using a different name when publishing his book, he called himself by what many know him as today, Lewis Carroll, he gave one of his books to Alice as an early Christmas present in 1864, before it was even published, the next year in 1865 he self-published his book, little did he know, it would become one of the most popular childrens books ever written, made into films, sold as merchandise, videos games and now even playable in virtual reality, it is a story that has the possibility of living on forever.

Its no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.

A couple of interesting Facts to digest mmmmm

It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!

This is a marvelous bottle of Sparkling Wine which has a lovely bright and welcoming label, covered in flowers, a perfect addition to any Mad Hatters Tea Party.

Motzenbcker has a history dating back to 1758, currently, 4 generations of the Menger-Krug family are helping in creating Motzenbckers Still Wines & Sparkling Wines.

All the grapes used in a bottle of Motzenbcker are grown on their land and they even have vines going on 40 years old.

Another interesting piece of information to take note of is that on the first full moon Motzenbcker lumber wood to create their large moon oak barrels which contain their very best wines, with only their Chardonnay and Riesling grapes gaining entry, they are allowed to ripen in these barrels for 11 months.

Motzenbcker Marie Brut Tasting Notes

Aroma Honey on toast and cooked pear on the aroma.

Flavours Hint of honey, green and red apple flavours with green apple skins and pashion fruit.

This German Sparkling Wine won a Bronze Medal in the Zesty & Zingy Category at The Worlds Finest Glass of Bubbly Awards 2019.

Off with their heads!

Oh No! It seems our little tea party has come to an end, till next time dear friends, that is if you dont lose your head.

Image Credits:Image 1 Image 2.

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Alice in Wonderland Day - A Sparkling Tea Party - Glass of Bubbly

Prior to Donald Trumps 1 a.m. Twitter rant last month raging against the group of RINO Republican...loser types at the so-called Lincoln Project, Ben Howe, a video editor and one of the top creative minds behind the super PACs notorious anti-Trump ads, had avoided associating himself with the group. I didnt publicly acknowledge my involvement until the president went after our Mourning in America ad, Howe told me during a phone interview, referencing a viral Lincoln Project spot blasting the Trump administrations handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Once he did thatwell, it had been my personal mission to have him call me a loser someday. So, I was like, Okay, I cant stay quiet anymore.

Like the Lincoln Projects other members, Howethe creative mind, video editor, and, he said, sometimes narrating voice on many of the groups adsspent years supporting conservative policies and working on various Republican campaigns. In December, in an effort to help ensure Trump doesnt win a second term, Howe joined forces with Rick Wilson, a Defense Department appointee under then secretary Dick Cheney and GOP strategist who contributed to Rudy Giulianis winning mayoral ad campaigns; George Conway, a Washington attorney and husband of top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway who in 2017 was considered for a number of Justice Department posts before turning on the White House; Steve Schmidt, a top strategist for George W. Bushs 2004 bid, operations chief for John McCains 2008 presidential campaign, and campaign manager for Arnold Schwarzeneggers 2006 reelection bid for California governor; and John Weaver, the chief strategist for John Kasichs 2016 presidential campaign. Considered turncoats due to their shared opposition to Trump, the group united under the name of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, and formed a super PAC with the explicit goal of preventing Trump from being reelected by swaying swing voters and moderate Republicansand pissing him off in the process.

Howe first honed his skills as an ad creator working for the anti-Obama Tea Party movement. He launched his political ad-making career after his business, a trademark-research firm, went under during the recession. In 2010, he created a video promoting the Tea Party for RedState, a conservative website where his brother, Caleb Howe, wrote at the time. Following the clips semi-viral success, Howe was contracted by FreedomWorks, a Koch-founded advocacy group that played a major role in astroturfing the Tea Party wave, for another video. His success, he said, resulted in him working with the Heritage Foundation on video proposals of their own. His new company, Mister Smith Media, which he told me is named after the 1939 political dramedy starring Jimmy Stewart, went on to craft online clips and ads for Ted Cruzs inaugural Senate campaign, which has arguably proven to be the Tea Partys most enduring success in Washington.

In subsequent years, Howe told me his company continued to make videos for Heritage, National Review, and Senator John Cornyn, another Texas Republican. He didnt predict, nor was he prepared for, the rise of Trump, but for him it represented a breaking point. During the 2016 election, he vowed to phone bank for Hillary Clinton if Trump won the nomination. He subsequently created an oppo documentary about the Trump campaign titled The Sociopath in January of that year before I even left the party, he said.

More here:
It Had Been My Personal Mission to Have Him Call Me a Loser: Meet the Lincoln Project Video Wiz Whose Ads Are Driving Trump Insane - Vanity Fair

Power

Helped by an endorsement from Bernie Sanders, the activist-turned-politician's victorious primary campaign in West Philly's 188th District is being mentioned with those of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Brown and his friend Nikil Saval.

Rick Krajewski announcing his campaign at a Reclaim Philly meeting last fall. Photo by Jason Lozada

West Phillys Rick Krajewski has never been much for the status quo. Raised by a working-class single mother in the South Bronx, hes used his position as an outsider first at an elite New York City private school, then as an engineering student at the University of Pennsylvania to wage a battle for equal access to opportunity and representation in Pennsylvania. The moment that radicalized him, he says, was when the STEM curriculum he developed at West Philadelphias Samuel B. Huey Elementary School was shelved in 2016 after the school was shuttered to make room for a privately run charter academy with a lottery system that left many neighborhood children lacking a high-quality public education. From there, he rose through the ranks of Reclaim Philadelphia founded by former Bernie Sanders volunteers where he fought to elect District Attorney Larry Krasner and spearheaded a successful grassroots campaign to get publicity for progressive judgeship candidates in down-ballot elections.

Now hes flipped the switch, having become the progressive politician whom those fed up with the establishment organized to elect. In Junes Democratic primary, Krajewski ousted 35-year incumbent James Roebuck to become the presumptive state Representative-elect for the 188th District. He ran an unorthodox campaign, pivoting from a classic get-out-the-vote operation to launch a mutual aid program as the novel coronavirus left many in his district unemployed and without food or access to health care. Running unopposed in November in his heavily Democratic district in West Philly, Krajewski has plans to take a platform steeped in direct action, decarceration, and education reform to Harrisburg. Philly Mag spoke with him on the phone to learn more about his plans, his hopes for activism in Philly, and where he falls in the progressive surge overtaking local office.

Philadelphia: Youve been an organizer for a while with Reclaim Philly. What made you want to pivot and run for elected office yourself?

Rick Krajewski: Im supportive of the other progressives that are in the State House, like Chris Raab and Summer Lee, which is why I knocked doors for [City Council candidates] Helen Gym, Isaiah Thomas and Kendra Brooks. Having all of these people in strategic positions has made it more effective for us to push for our issues. Kendra, Jamie Gauthier and Helen just pushed the Emergency Housing Protection Act, which will extend relief for renters throughout the year, for example. That legislation wouldnt have happened without them. What Ive realized while doing community organizing is the importance of having allies in office that will work with you.

Also, Ive spent my whole adult life the past 11 years in Philadelphia, and the majority of that time in West Philadelphia, first as an undergrad at Penn and then as a resident. I love this place. Its my home and its become clear to me that with the current trends around our education system and housing market, I wont be able to have a secure future here. I cant say that Im going to be able to send my child to a well-funded local public school if I start a family. I cant say with certainty that Ill be able to own a home here. That sucks! It sucks to feel like you cant have permanent residency in the place that you call your home. So there are political and strategic reasons that led me to pivot, but also personal ones.

Your campaign had a decarceration plan that was focused first on decreasing state prison funding and then on the effects of COVID-19 on prison populations. How have the events of the last month changed whats politically possible around that issue?

This doesnt change my vision in that I am fundamentally an abolitionist: I envision a model of safety and accountability that isnt upheld through prisons, mass policing, and mass incarceration. Defunding the police is about divesting from police and their militarized violence by investing in the root causes of violence like systemic poverty and putting resources into them. So if anything, this moment has just expedited our ability to win some of these demands. It has made it more politically possible to defund the police and fund communities right now, vs. thinking that its a multi-year agenda. We now even have Republicans that are voting on policing reform bills. You have bipartisan appeals. You have protests happening across the state, even in places where there arent Black people. What that signals is that our movement for decarceration is at its peak. This is the peak of possibility for us, so it has allowed us to act with more urgency.

Rick Krajewski at the June Defund the Police protest. Photo by Matt Barber

Youve recently pushed Mayor Kenney to defund the Philadelphia Police Department by $120 million, which did not occur. [Council and the Mayor passed a budget that reallocated $14 million of PPD funds.] Where does that number come from, and why are so many demonstrators rallying around it?

The $120 million number was pushed by a couple of groups acting on the ground, like the Alliance for a Just Philadelphia. It is how much the PPD budget has increased over Mayor Kenneys administration, so its gone up by 20 percent over the past five years. Its an extreme amount of money that actually does not show a [corresponding] decrease in violence.

All of these protesters are coalescing around defunding the police because its not just that the increase [in police funding] is happening; its that its happening as schools are experiencing austerity cuts. The school I used to teach at was shut down in 2015 and turned into a charter school, and other schools are dealing with asbestos and with lead in their drinking water. So to see this increase not actually accomplish anything when the money could go to all of this other stuff that could actually result in lifting people out of needs-based crime is enraging.

Your plan to defund the police calls for reinvesting funds diverted from policing into education, arts, and other community programs. Whom do you need to work with at the city and state levels to make this happen, politically?

City Council is going to be a big part of this equation because of their ability to engage around the budget. The truth is, were going to need a bloc that goes beyond Councilwoman Brooks, who voted against the recent budget. Were going to need other people who want to step up and be in favor of this issue. On the state level, its going to have to involve other legislators who are advocating for policing reform. Im really encouraged by the work of legislators like Joanna McClinton and Jordan Harris, who have been taking the lead in introducing several policing bills after that direct action when they occupied the House floor. I want all to be passed, and two already have, but we still need a lot more.

As someone who has pivoted from ground-level activism to a presumptive seat in the legislature, what advice would you give BLM organizers who may be considering a similar long game about how to channel the energy of the moment into real momentum?

Ive always thought that this movement was particularly powerful because people are continuously hitting the streets to protest, which raises the necessary public tension. We are not allowing anyone to forget that these are our demands and that defunding the police will live or die based on the activity out in the streets. But what Im really excited about is that there are people who are using that public energy and translating it into the need for officials to capitulate to our demands. So my advice is for us to always take the tension we create with public outrage, like protests, and use it as leverage to get elected officials to do what we want and hold them accountable.

In the same vein, how do we keep white and non-Black allies invested in and advocating for the Black Lives Matter movement?

You have to take their moment of piqued interest and hit them in their gut with how it affects them, too. White people need to understand that under a white supremacist structure, it is the violence and oppression that is being enacted upon Black and brown people. But its dehumanizing anyone who doesnt benefit from the structure, which includes anyone who is not a cis-hetero white dude in their 50s whos a capitalist. So how do you take people from that point of entry? There is that first moment of politicization where you become agitated to think more deeply about your conditions, which should lead you down a path of reflection that causes you to become more committed to the work. White people need to do that and think beyond solidarity with Black lives. Its one of the biggest challenges, because while this work is centered around the Black and brown experience, building cross-racial solidarity is what is going to take us to the next level.

Can you take us back to the moment when you found out Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed you? Was it a surprise?

It was a bit of a roller coaster. I had been trying to work on getting the endorsement for some time because I knew I had friends who were a part of his team. Then I found out Nikil [Saval] got endorsed, and to be frank that lit a fire under my ass. I went into overdrive and kept bumping my emails with his political director. The moment it happened, I was in the CVS right next to my house. I was waiting to be checked out. [Sanderss] political director calls me and shes like, You got endorsed! I started immediately flipping out and was so grateful, so I couldnt wait to tell everyone. We hang up, but Im still in the checkout line. I needed to call my campaign manager and my mom to let them know the news. It has never felt so long being in line as it did in that moment.

The media has begun to mention your campaign in the same breath as those of AOC, Jamaal Bowman, and your friend Nikil Saval do you see yourself as part of this leftist surge?

I do! Because what this surge represents is that our people, our movement, is not satisfied with the way the establishment is doing politics anymore. All of us myself, Nikil, Jamal, AOC all ran on a commitment to go above and beyond what is expected of elected officials. Jamaal Bowman went on a bus tour in the middle of COVID, going around the Bronx to engage with constituents. AOC has been a firebrand whos been willing to hold her colleagues accountable. Both myself and Nikil are holding town halls and did listening sessions about housing, workers rights and mass liberation. Our campaign was also the first to launch a mutual aid program regarding food service in the time of COVID. All of those things are not the normal modes of operation for politicians, and normal isnt working anymore.

As we look to November, when the Democratic party is backing a decidedly centrist candidate in Joe Biden, what do victories like yours and some of the ones weve mentioned say about the dynamics in the broader party? Can the party hold together?

With all of these insurgents winning and taking office, I hope that we can all unite under the left-wing equivalent of the Tea Party, because while their agenda is horrible, there are some things about [that group] that I admire. They know how to be ruthless about what they want and to not compromise, and thats why their agenda won despite their being a small contingent when they started. Our movement needs to do the same thing we need to come together, build a collective agenda, and continue to get people into office while building alliances where we can. We must be ruthless about what we aspire to do, and by that, I mean just simply being courageous and unwilling to capitulate. What Jamal, AOC, Nikil and myself have in common is that we didnt come with some weak shit. We didnt come with a weak platform. We came out strong, and the party was forced to respond. I hope we have enough force that the party must be accountable to us, which will help us move the Democratic establishment back toward its roots as being people-powered.

More:
West Phillys Rick Krajewski on Running for Office, Defunding the PPD and the National Leftist Uprising - Philadelphia magazine

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Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Bidens clear message that the India-US partnership will be a high priority of his administration if he is elected is important in light of the tense border situation with China.

His remarks add to the strong support shown by the Republican administration of President Donald Trump both publicly and privately. Several members of the US Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have also spoken in support of India after the brutal killing of 20 Indian soldiers by the Chinese on June 15 along the Line of Actual Control.

Biden also said this week he would lift the temporary suspension of H-1B visas imposed by Trump and hinted at a more inclusive and generous immigration policy. Given the state of the US economy, it was politically brave of him to speak in favour of foreign workers.

As a Democratic Party elder, Biden gets the big strategic picture that the India-US partnership is extremely important in maintaining the balance of power in Asia that favours democracies, especially now that China is flexing all its muscles at the same time. Bidens top advisers seem open-eyed about China.

Also read: Trumps reelection campaign is in crisis

India needs to be a partner in the region for our safetys sake and quite frankly for theirs, Biden told a fund-raiser in his signature blunt style. The partnership, a strategic partnership, is necessary and important. He said he was proud to have played an important role as senator in getting the India-US civil nuclear deal through the US Congress. The deal indeed changed the bilateral relationship in a fundamental manner.

Bidens statements should go some distance to calm nerves in New Delhi. There has been some concern within the BJP and its hyper supporters in the US about Democrats, especially the progressives in the House because they have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modis record on human rights, sometimes without an understanding of the ground situation in Kashmir. At the same time Modis total embrace of Trump by his political managers irked many Democrats, creating an unnecessary perceptional problem.

Some of BJPs concern may be justified because the progressives do indulge in selective outrage against India but most of the BJPs anger simply comes from a place of: How dare you? the posture of the insecure. The Democratic Party is not about to change one of its core tenets advocating respect for human rights however selectively it may practise it.

In fact, the left flank of the Democratic Party is pushing hard and succeeding to some extent to move the party away from the Bill Clintonesque centrism on social issues.

That said, its important to examine how Biden and some other key Democrats see Modi, his domestic policies and the changing nature of India. And whether the less-than-warm feelings for Modi will affect policy-making if Biden were elected?

Also read: Biden threatens sanctions against China over death blow to Hong Kongs autonomy

Modi supporters are especially irked by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Ro Khanna, both Indian Americans, for being vocal against Modis policies following the revocation of Article 370 last August in Jammu & Kashmir. Even though the revocation itself didnt raise as many questions, the curtailment of rights, imprisonment of political leaders and the long communication blockade did. The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) added to the bucket of criticism.

Jayapal, Khanna and a few others went full human rights on India last year, often speaking the language of paid lobbyists or groups with a clearly identifiable agenda. Jayapal even introduced a resolution on Kashmir last December, criticizing the Indian governments conduct. But also worth remembering is that Modis Kashmir moves didnt get loud Republican support either.

Whats disturbing to many Indians is that neither Jayapal nor Khanna speaks out when terrorists kill civilians in Kashmir. Therecent case of a four-year-old boy killed by terroristsin Anantnag district along with a CRPF jawan, is only the latest. When Hindus are attacked in Pakistan or forcibly converted, the progressive lawmakers dont notice. Their keen sense of India and developments within seems to work selectively.

Nor have the two havent spoken out since the Chinese brutalized and killed 20 Indian soldiers. Its noteworthy because Jayapal repeatedly refers to her Indian heritage she was an Indian citizen until the age of 35 and how growing up in India informs her life. Her parents still live in India.

Diplomatic efforts to brief Jayapal and Khanna on Indias point of view are generally met with indifference or ignorance about basic facts. A good example is harking back to Pakistans demand for plebiscite in Kashmir, something, which a cursory reading of history would explain as to why it wasnt held. But information flow to their offices seems to come mainly from Pakistani front organisations and Khalistani outfits.

Interestingly, the other two Indian Americans in the House Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ami Bera make an effort to stay abreast of developments in India and have taken up the India-China border situation.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi, the first Indian American to be a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence,told a hearing last week, India is one of our closest friends, and it is vital that we stand with India in the face of the Chinese governments border aggression. This aggression must be met with clear American resolve to stand by India and our other allies in the region.

Apart from the progressives, a few mainstream Democrats have also made moves that cause concern in Delhi. Senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chose to club India with China and Turkey in a bill on Covid-19 relief introduced on May 7 to say that governments in these countries had taken measures that violate the human rights of their citizens without clear public health justification.

Clubbing India with China was jarring and ill-advised even if it were a single line in a 148-page bill. The bill hasnt gone anywhere but Menendez stance is noteworthy. If the Democrats win the Senate this November, he would be committee chairman.

Biden too has been critical of CAA and Modis Kashmir policies if the position paper on Muslims on his website is anything to go by. It is another piece of the puzzle that has riled up diaspora activists who are demanding a similar policy paper on Hindu Americans.

Also read: How Biden can punish Putin, if Trump does not

Its possible that the position paper entitled Joe Bidens Agenda for Muslim-American Communities is a vote-getting ploy to distinguish the candidate from Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric. The paper has six lines expressing disappointment about restrictions on dissent and shutting or slowing down the Internet among other points issues that have been criticised by many Indians themselves.

One can quibble about US politicians commenting on the internal affairs of India but Indians are free to surmise on race relations in the US. Theres little point in wasting too much political capital and getting over exercised about the issue.

In the end, fears that a Democratic administration may not be as friendly to India as a Republican one, especially given the feelings around Modi, are somewhat exaggerated. All administrations will see the world through the prism of US national security interests and Indias importance with or without Modi will weigh heavily.

Whats more important is whether Biden can rally the various groups struggling for prominence and help unite a party clearly searching for its soul. He has deftly pulled a large number of supporters from the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren camps. Defeating Trump is a bigger goal than intra-party differences for most Democrats.

A former Obama Administration official told me Biden is well-positioned to handle the left field. Most of the battles will be on domestic policy and Biden has already drawn some red lines for the progressives. He is equally capable to shutting anti-India chatter down.

Democratic insiders are confident of managing their fringe better than the Republicans who gave in to Tea Party extremism and embraced Trumps divisiveness in order to win elections.

The crazy left is not as extreme as the crazy right, one Democrat told me. More importantly, Biden is old school and moderate.

Seema Sirohi is a columnist based in Washington DC. She writes on US foreign policy in relation to South Asia. Views are personal.

The article first appeared on the Observer Research Foundation website.

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No reason to believe Biden wont be as friendly to Modi and India as Trump is - ThePrint