China and Russia are concerned about the growing India-US ties as it promotes inclusiveness, peace and peaceful resolution of disputes while valuing diverse voices in society, a top US diplomat said on Monday.
“Frankly, why do you think China and Russia are so concerned about this partnership? Because we bring a way of life to the rest of the world, which is about inclusiveness, peace, peaceful resolution of disputes, rule of law and everybody’s voice being heard in society,” Under Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma said in response to a question after delivering remarks on India-US ties at the prestigious Hudson Institute.
Mr Verma said the relationship between India and the US is “very different” from the way some of America’s adversaries function.
It is this uniqueness that has led President Joe Biden to describe the ties between the two countries as “the defining relationship of this century,” the diplomat said.
He recalled that nearly 20 years ago, when he was standing in the Senate with then-Senator Biden and Chief of Staff Tony Blinken, Biden had remarked that if the US and India were the closest friends and partners by 2020, the world would be a safer place.
“Not just because we have two large armies, not just because we have two large economies, but because we actually stand for something that matters in the daily lives of people across the world,” Mr Verma said.
Responding to a question on the Quad, Mr Verma said it was aimed at promoting peace, security, stability and prosperity.
“I look at what the Quad has, the kinds of statements and declarations it has made on technology, for example… technology for good, non-harassment, non-surveillance, non-misinformation, laying out a set of key principles, building on some of our work on quantum computing and cybersecurity,” he said.
He said, “When I look at what the Quad has said and done on energy transition, trade, rules-based order, I don’t think it has to take on a military character. Indians don’t support it. Frankly, I don’t think we need it. I think there are other places to deal with core military issues.”
“I think it’s about like-minded countries, two of which are treaty allies of the United States, coming together in a different form, in a different structure, and bringing together the most populous country in the Indo-Pacific to really chart out some new areas that we had not charted out before,” Verma said.
“I think it has a positive impact on security even though it is not a treaty-based security organisation. There is a lot of expectation and enthusiasm in the Quad. I think this weekend’s meeting will be very important. It will be historic. The Quad will continue to move forward in many ways,” the top US diplomat said.
US President Joe Biden will host the fourth in-person Quad leaders’ summit at his Delaware residence next week, a rare gesture for his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan, the president’s spokesman announced on Thursday.
India, which was scheduled to host the QUAD this year, will host the summit next year. The QUAD Leadership Summit is a Biden initiative and one of the major foreign policy legacies of the outgoing US president.
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