Beijing, July 18: India will play a prominent strategic role in the proposed Asian version of NATO if the designs of the United States to extend its status as the lone super power come true, a leading official Chinese newspaper commented today. "The Pentagon's Asia-Pacific military strategy has put India in a prominent position compared to other Asian countries," the 'China Daily' said in a commentary while expressing concern over reported US attempts to contain China's rise and Russia's clout in South Asian region by propping up an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). "In the eyes of the United States, India holds an important strategic position linking the Indian ocean and the Pacific ocean. By strengthening its ties with the South Asian country, the US can not only consolidate and expand its strategic presence in South Asia but also further squeeze Russia's and China's strategic clout out of the region," the commentary says. It says talks between Pentagon senior advisers and their counterparts in New Delhi were held in late may on the prospects for a new security system for an asian version of NATO. Describing Robert Blackwill, the outgoing us ambassador to India, as "a strong advocate of a Us-Indian alliance," the paper commented that washington's basic purpose for closer ties with India and an Asian version of NATO is to extend its status as the world's sole superpower.

Bureau Report.