Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jul 31: India has emerged as part of the Trump administration's evolving public diplomacy strategy as the US shifts greater attention towards Asia while revamping the way it communicates with overseas audiences, a senior American official has told lawmakers.
Sarah Rogers, US President Donald Trump's nominee to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Asia would be one of the agency's key areas of focus as Washington responds to growing information campaigns by China and other authoritarian governments.
"Asia, huge focus," Rogers said while outlining her vision for the agency, which oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and other US-funded international broadcasters.
Speaking about her public diplomacy efforts, Rogers said she had focused much of her engagement on countries where social media plays a major role in shaping public opinion.
"I've also tweeted a lot of content about Japan and some about India," she said, adding that these are among the countries where the platform X, formerly Twitter, is widely used.
Rogers said the agency should increasingly adapt to changing media consumption habits by expanding its presence on short-form video platforms, podcasts and diaspora group chats, while continuing traditional radio and television broadcasts where they remain effective.
She said US international broadcasting should prioritise countries where access to independent information is limited, identifying Asia, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan and Cuba among the agency's strategic focus areas.
If confirmed, Rogers said her immediate priorities would include stabilising the agency, strengthening its leadership, modernising operations and restoring research capabilities to better measure audience reach and engagement.
Her remarks come as the United States intensifies efforts to counter China not only in trade, technology and defence, but also in the information and public diplomacy domain.