"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."
SCHUMER SAYS CHINESE ‘HUMILIATED’ BY SPY FLIGHT INCIDENT: ‘IT’S A REAL SETBACK FOR THEM’
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.
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"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.
"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.