Priorities.

NEW DELHI (AFP) ― U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday holds his first meetings with India’s right-wing government as he seeks to reboot a relationship seen as a bulwark against a rising China.

Kerry’s visit to New Delhi comes after an unusually large number of disputes between the world’s largest democracies, including charges of U.S. surveillance against Indian politicians and a trade rift that could scuttle a global customs deal.

The top U.S. diplomat plans to hold a full day of talks with senior Indian leaders before meeting Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who was shunned by Washington until soon before his sweeping election victory in May.

Taking a break from intense Middle East diplomacy that has dominated his tenure, Kerry will highlight other issues dear to his heart including climate change, with a meeting scheduled with Indian environmental scholars.

Stressing the theme of U.S.-India cooperation to find solutions on climate change and other global challenges, Kerry is also expected to tour laboratories of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.