By: JurmoloyaRava
India said on Friday that it appreciates US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s positive evaluation of the Indo-US ties, asserting that New Delhi shares his optimism and looks forward to welcoming him here next week for discussions to strengthen the partnership.
Secretary Tillerson has made a significant policy statement on India-US relations and its future. In a statement to a news agency, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (on 18 Oct) has made a significant policy statement on India-US relations and its future. We appreciate US Secretary of State Tillerson’s positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions.”
Making a statement on “defining our relationship with India for the next century”, Tillerson last week had said the US is India’s reliable partner at the world stage in this period of uncertainty and angst.
In a major India-policy speech, the first by the Trump administration, Tillerson had referred to the rise of China, saying its behaviour and action was “posing a challenge to the rules-based international order”.
“China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly, at times undermining the international, rules-based order — even as countries like India operate within a framework that protects other nations’ sovereignty,” he had told a Washington audience ahead of his maiden visit to India as the top American diplomat.
“China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea directly challenge the international law and norms that the US and India both stand for,” he had said.
Tillerson had said the US-India ‘2 plus 2’ dialogue would set the stage for the strengthening of bilateral ties. “We are looking forward to the ‘2 plus 2’ inaugural dialogue with PM Modi and President Trump,” he had said, adding the US and India should work together to maintain “peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Secretary of State also took a dim view of China’s ‘provocative actions’ in the disputed the South China Sea when he said, “China’s actions in the South China Sea directly challenge the international law and norms that US and India both stand for.” He also noted that China, while compared to India, had contributed very less to counter terrorism.
[TheChamp-Sharing]
