NEARLY a week after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi concluded his first state visit to the US, a top American diplomat for East Asia on Wednesday (28) said Washington expects a greater partnership with New Delhi in the South China Sea, where Beijing has been at the centre of several territorial disputes with a number of countries.
The US and India declared themselves "among the closest partners in the world" last week when Modi was in Washington and focused on adherence to international law in tackling challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South China Sea.
Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies that Washington has seen a "clear and upward trend" of Chinese "coercion" in the disputed waters, Reuters reported.
Asked whether New Delhi would have an increasing role in the South China Sea and greater cooperation with Washington in the region, Kritenbrink responded in the affirmative, adding that there would be bigger collaboration among the Quad group comprising the US, India, Japan and Australia, the report added.
He added that the US's focus in the region was on building the capacity of allies and friends that share a vision for a stable and peaceful world.
"We will welcome cooperation with any country that embraces that vision. That of course includes India," Kritenbrink was quoted as saying.
"Large countries should not bully smaller ones," he added, taking a dig at China over its disputes with other South China Sea claimants.
Tensions are high in the contested parts sea, an important trade route and a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.
Beijing claims almost the entire sea as its territory and says disputes should be settled by the countries in the region themselves.
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China's Washington embassy, said at a news briefing that Beijing's position on the South China Sea position had a solid historical and legal basis, whereas Washington was not a party to the disputes and should not be conducting military operations in the region.
India meanwhile said on Wednesday that it was sending an active duty missile corvette to Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations, as a gift, the first warship it has given to any nation.
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