 Afterward, the Clinton administration and Prime Minister Vajpayee exchanged representatives to help rebuild relations.India emerged in the 21st century as increasingly vital to core US foreign policy interests.India, a dominant actor in its region, and the home of more than one billion citizens, is now often characterised as a nascent Great Power and an "indispensable partner" of the US, one that many analysts view as a potential counterweight to the growing clout of China.