-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE | | | | by visiting this link and following the instructions therein | | | | http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- US ties can balance rising China: India
Reuters Posted online: Monday, November 28, 2005 at 2047 hours IST New Delhi, November 28: Growing warmth in ties between India and the United States can help offset China's rising economic and military clout in Asia, a top Indian official said on Monday. Ties between India and the United States, once on opposite sides of the Cold War divide, have warmed in recent years, with the two nations forging a strategic partnership encompassing many areas from military to economic and space. The high point came in July when Washington took a landmark decision to resume cooperation with India on civil nuclear energy after a gap of many years. "If we are looking at Asia in the coming years, there is no doubt there is a major realignment of forces taking place in Asia," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said. "There is the emergence of China as a global economic power. There will be increased capabilities that China would be able to bring to bear in this region and even beyond," he told an India Economic Summit in New Delhi. "I think India and the United States can contribute to a much better balance in the Asian region," he said. Analysts have long said that Washington's growing interest in developing strong ties with New Delhi is aimed at offsetting Beijing's rising influence in Asia. India and China are Asia's two fastest growing economies and are seen as major competitors in the region. The two nuclear neighbours fought a bitter war in 1962 and are currently in talks to resolve a long-standing boundary dispute. Some analysts feel China's growing military might in the region threatens India's strategic interests. China has traditionally supported Pakistan, especially in providing military hardware. However, in recent years, bilateral trade has picked up between India and China and high-level political visits from both sides have helped improve ties. Saran disputed the view that there was an effort by the United States and India to 'contain' China. "What is really being looked at is with China's emergence as a major economic power; with China's emergence as also a country with major military capabilities--how is this going to be accommodated within a new kind of structure that needs to emerge in Asia," Saran said. "We need to bring more and more countries within the discipline of a mutually-agreed security paradigm for this region and both the United States and India can contribute to that," he added. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
