NEW DELHI: A-day before reaching Islamabad on two-day visit, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman HAS SAID THAT India and her country (US) have “one mind and one approach on Afghanistan issue will compete with China as it threatens rules-based international order.
“We will compete with China where we should, cooperate with China where it’s in our interests. We will challenge China where we must — where it undermines interests of ours and our partners and allies or threatens rules-based international order,” Sherman said as China has been increasing its rising military power and assertiveness in the Indo Pacific region. “I think we (US) and India are like-minded in that regard,” added Sherman at India Ideas Summit on Wednesday.
Underscoring the importance of the bilateral partnership, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had reiterated that the ties between India and United States is rooted in shared values of the two countries and both are believers in the free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
“The partnership between India and United States is rooted in our shared values. We are both homes to innovators and entrepreneurs. We are both believers in the free, open, interconnected and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” Sherman had said during a meeting with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla here.
“And we both know that the best way to preserve peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world is by upholding and strengthing the rules-based international order,” she added.
The two countries are also strengthening cooperation in advanced military technologies, and expanding engagements in a multilateral framework including with regional partners.
She also applauded India’s decision to resume COVID-19 vaccine exports from October. “We applaud India’s decision to resume vaccine exports. It was really a country that the world depended on. India had come to everybody’s rescue early on and hopefully, we all came to India’s rescue to help them,” said US Deputy Secretary of State. The two-day 2021 India Ideas Summit began on Wednesday.
India’s security concerns will be the “first and foremost” and at the “front and centre” for Washington, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Wednesday on New Delhi’s apprehensions about the spillover of terrorist activity from Afghanistan.
Wendy Sherman, who held talks with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and NSA Ajit Doval, also said that India and the US have “one mind and one approach” on developments in Afghanistan.
Noting that the US appreciates India’s concerns over the spread of terrorism from Afghanistan, she told a select group of reporters that Washington is putting together a robust programme for “over-the-horizon” (OTH) capability for Afghanistan but did not elaborate on it.
The US Deputy Secretary of State said both India and the US have a similar approach on the way forward in Afghanistan that included the Taliban ensuring an inclusive government and that Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorists.
She also emphasised safe and orderly travel for those who want to leave Afghanistan and called for the need to ensure respect for human rights.
The senior US official said that the Taliban must act, and not just speak words and that no country is in a rush on recognising the dispensation in Kabul or giving legitimacy to it.