Washington: The Obama administration has
described India and China as "very important" global players
and said it is engaged in intensive dialogue with the two
countries, amid New Delhi`s unease over the reference to
Indo-Pak ties in a Sino-US joint statement.
"India and China are two rising powers, very important
players on the global scene," State Department Deputy
Spokesman, Robert Wood, said at a news briefing yesterday.
The United States would be dealing very closely with
India and China in coming years, he said. "They`re key, and
our relationships with both are growing."
Wood`s comments came two days after India strongly
reacted to the references to the Indo-Pak ties in a Sino-US
joint statement issued during President Barack Obama`s China
visit and made it clear that it would not brook any third
party role in bilateral matters.
"A third country role cannot be envisaged nor is it
necessary," the External Affairs Ministry spokesman said New
Delhi in a terse comment on the statement
Both Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao had
voiced support for improvement in Indo-Pak ties and their
readiness to promote peace and stability in the region,
listing the situation in South Asia among regional and global
challenges.
Observing that the US is engaged in intensive dialogue
with both countries, Wood said: "I think both countries also
realise the importance of the Indo-Sino relationship, and to
work towards improving that not only for regional stability,
but for global stability as well."
However, the Deputy Spokesman refrained from making any
comment on India getting a place in the UN Security Council,
where China along with the US, Britain, France and Russia is a
permanent member.
Responding to a question, Wood said the US does have its
concerns with China, which it has raised with the Chinese
authorities.
"We have raised them when appropriate, and at all levels
of our interaction. Hopefully, China will move in the
direction that we`d like to see it go," he said.
The US and China have often differed on the issue of
human rights and Washington has been raising it with the
Chinese authorities along with its other concerns.
Bureau Report
