U.S. strengthens 'strategic partnership' with India to counter China

[ErnstBlofeld]

Geo Strategy Direct:

 

A senior Pentagon official said last week that the United States is building a strategic partnership with India but the official did not say whether the strategy is part of a U.S. effort to counter China's military buildup.

Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, told a forum July 1 that the U.S. plans to sell P-8 anti-submarine aircraft and C-130 transports to India.

 

“I am and will continue to be a very strong advocate of U.S. solutions for India's defense needs,” Flournoy said.

 

“These sales are even more important in building a strategic partnership that will allow both countries to cooperate more effectively, to protect their mutual security interests in the future,” she said.

Flournoy said the U.S. has a strong interest in India’s emergence as a regional power in Asia. “The Obama administration is committed to strengthening regional partnerships, to build an international system capable of addressing the challenges that have no respect for borders.

 

"In Asia, this means it no longer makes sense to discuss this increasingly interconnected region in terms of East Asia or South Asian security. It means that security, the security of Asia's two dominant powers can no longer be viewed as a zero sum gain. A safer, more secure India that is closer to the United States should not be seen as a threat to China and vice versa. Indeed, all three countries play an important role in regional security."

 

Flournoy said the U.S. welcomes cooperation between India and China on security issues and both India and the U.S. are “encouraging Beijing to be more transparent about its military capabilities and intentions.”

 

Closer U.S. defense relations with India are part of the covert U.S. strategy developed under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called the “hedge” strategy toward China that involves realigning forces in Asia and developing closer alliances to counter a future threat from China.