We see India as a friend, not counterbalance to China: US Envoy

Mangalore Today News Network

New York, September 24, 2024: United States sees India as a "friend and partner" and not as a counterbalance to any other country, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has said and emphasised that the two nations share the principles about borders and sovereignty and rule of law.

In an interview with ANI, Garcetti stressed that the US stood with India when there has been conflict on the border and that it supports India’s diplomatic interactions with China.

He said the United States has a long history of ensuring that aggression should not be rewarded anywhere in the world.

"I would say that we see India as a friend and a partner, not a counterbalance. We share the principles about borders and sovereignty, about the rule of law. We’ve stood with India on the border when there’s been conflicts. We’ve recognized since 1952 the McMahon Line. We have a long history of ensuring that aggression should not be rewarded anywhere in the world. When it comes to China specifically, we all want to have peaceful relations with China," he said.

Garcetti was asked that US relations with China are very complex and how does Washington DC see India fit into the larger picture when it comes to the region, especially when India-China relations are not at their best and also if Washington sees India as a counterbalance to China in his country’s Indo-Pacific policy.

"We support India’s diplomatic interactions right now and I think it was announced, you know, that much of the border, about 75 per cent of it, as (EAM) Jaishankar said, has been settled, but nobody should move ahead when their sovereignty is threatened. That is something that we respect and will follow India’s lead in India’s land," he said. .

The US envoy said that the US wants countries to have choices and not fall into debt traps.

"Secondly, when we look at the region, we want to make sure people have choices that they don’t have death traps that they aren’t seen as inferring in domestic politics. That people can have democracies that they can have free market economies. They can have a rule of law that is respected by everybody. We want to calm the waters when it comes to relations with China," he added.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said earlier this month that 75 per cent of disengagement problems with China have been sorted out but the two nations "still have some things to do." He also underlined how India and China never had an easy relationship in the past.
Garcetti said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden share "close friendship." He described President Biden as the "most pro-Indian president we’ve had in US history".

"These are two men (PM Modi and Joe Biden) who have such a close friendship, the most pro-American prime minister we’ve ever seen in Indian history, the most pro-Indian president we’ve had in US history and that’s building on people who have been very strong before. I think they are representative of the people and their country and the closeness that we have, having this in a home for the first time, the President’s home, personal home, really underscored that this is something that is here to stay," he added.

Stressing that Quad is a "powerful place" to set a vision and come up with solutions in the Indo-Pacific, he said that the group is a contrast to nations that don’t play by the rules.

"The Quad is a powerful place to set a vision, to share principles and to come up with common solutions in the Indo-Pacific. It’s a contrast to nations that don’t want to play by the rules, don’t believe in the rule of law, but I think we will build solutions. It’s about what we can do proactively and this was a giant step forward," Garcetti said.

Quad is a group of four countries--Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.

US President Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the Quad Leaders’ Summit on Saturday (local time) in his home town Wilmington, Delaware.

The Quad leaders expressed commitment to working in partnership with Pacific island countries to achieve shared aspirations and address shared challenges.

The Quad nations also affirmed that, in consultation with partners, they will work collectively to address attempts to unilaterally undermine the integrity of the UN, its Charter, and its agencies.

Biden also held a bilateral meeting with PM Modi at his residence in Delaware. During his bilateral meeting, President Biden affirmed support for initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership for India in a reformed UN Security Council.

The sixth edition of the Quad Leaders’ Summit was also a ’farewell’ summit for both US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before they step down from their respective offices.