'I am not here to issue scorecards…': US NSA Jake Sullivan on question about fundamental freedoms in India

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that President Joe Biden will speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for apart from discussing other issues of global import in his engagements on the sidelines of G20 Summit. Interacting with the media on board Air Force One, Sullivan said he would not issue any scorecards in relation to fundamental freedoms. “I can’t characterise another leader’s perspective, and I’m not here to issue scorecards. What President Biden said when he was standing at the State visit earlier this year and what he will say in every significant leader engagement is what he believes and what the United States believes and what an American president stands for,” he said. “That’s our responsibility. That’s what we do on behalf of our national values, who we are as a people, who we are as Americans. That’s what we’ll keep doing, and I’ll leave the scorekeeping to others,” he added. He was answering a query related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in June this year and his assessment of fundamental values question in India following the joint media interaction of President Biden and PM Modi during the visit. Sullivan said that the bilateral meeting will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the United States. “And we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well,” he said. Sullivan said the G20 meeting will be an opportunity to engage on significant issues facing major economies. “As we head into the G20, we’re looking forward to an opportunity to engage on a range of what we think are really significant issues facing all of the major economies of the world,” he said. “And that goes from climate, to energy security, to food security, to global macroeconomic stability, to being able to deliver public goods to people everywhere through ambitious initiatives like the World Bank reform initiative that President Biden has been working on. And so, we think this will be an important milestone moment for global cooperation at a critical time,” he added. The US National Security Advisor said Chinese President Xi Jinping is not coming for the G20 Summit and “whether they would play spoiler and so forth, I’m not going to handicap what will happen at this summit in that regard”. “But I would point out that if you look at the hosts of the G20 over the next few years: We have India this year, Brazil next year, South Africa the following year, and then the United States. And I think, along with those three countries — India, Brazil, and South Africa — the US has a deep stake in stewarding the G20 and making sure that it remains a central mechanism for global coordination on all the major challenges we face. And I think, over the course of the weekend, you’ll see opportunities for us to reflect that,” Sullivan said. “Of course, President Biden will also speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for, as he does in all of his engagements. And then, he’ll look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend before we head off to Vietnam,” he added. The US President will arrive in India on Friday evening and will later have a bilateral meeting with PM Modi. The G20 summit will be held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September.