India “need not choose” between China and US for forging closer ties and New Delhi and Washington must continue to work together on regional issues while avoiding “traps of rivalry,” visiting US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said here on Saturday.
Acknowledging the growing influence of India in Asia and its quest to have good relations with the global community, Hagel said “just like the US need not choose between its Asian alliances and its constructive relationship with China, similarly India need not choose between its closer relationship with America and improved ties with China.”
Making this point, he said “in our relations with Beijing, both Delhi and Washington, should see a healthy competition and we should avoid the traps of rivalry,” at an Observer Research Foundation function here. Hagel also said the US wants to work for a peaceful global order in which “China was also a trustee” and both India and America should continue to work with it in the future.
This remark comes in the backdrop of the perception that the US is keen to have more intense defence and strategic ties with India as a counterbalance to China’s growing economic and military might.
Stating that the fundamentals of India-US strategic partnership were strong, the visiting minister suggested that the two countries should expand their defence ties and include Japan in their security co-operation partnership. Referring to the disputed South China Sea, Hagel said India and US favour a peaceful resolution of disputes and are for the freedom of navigation in the seas.
Taking an overarching view of global strategic environment, he said Indian and US security interests converge as “India continues to look east and the US pursues strategic re-balance. These things headline the convergence of interests of our two nations.” Allaying apprehensions about intention of the US to expand defence ties with India, Hagel said President Obama was serious about this relationship and “it was on track.”
Giving an example of the growing ties, he said the US sold weapon systems worth over nine billion dollars to India since 2008 and the figure stood just at one billion dollar in the years before that. Moreover, the political leadership of both the countries was keen to cut red tape for defence industrial co-operation as it will create jobs and infrastructure in India and US, he said.
As regards production of weapon systems, Hagel said US had offered to India to jointly develop and produce the next generation ‘Javelin’ anti-tank guided missile. He also said US had given more than a dozen proposals to India under the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative(DTTI) for manufacturing military hardware.
He said the US does not have such an agreement for joint design and production of weapon systems with any other country and is keen to have such a pact with India. Hagel assured that DTTI will not replace the existing procedures followed by both the countries for selling and procuring weapon systems.