WASHINGTON (CU)_The Biden administration on Tuesday (Feb 9), said the United States welcomes India’s emergence as a leading global power, as the two countries continue to deepen cooperation on many fronts.
“India is one of the most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region to us,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference. “We welcome India’s emergence as a leading global power and its role as a net security provider in the region.”
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, for the second time in less than 2 weeks, as they reaffirmed the strength of the US – India partnership and discussed issues of mutual concern.
Blinken and Jaishankar also discussed regional developments, during the call, while Price revealed that both countries look forward to expanding regional cooperation through the Quad, and intend to address several global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
In the case of the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, Price noted that the alliance is both broad and multi-faceted.
“We’ll continue to engage at the highest levels of our government to deepen cooperation on many fronts, and we are confident that the strong and upward trajectory of our partnership will, in fact, continue,” he said.
Furthermore, the spokesperson said the United States welcomes India’s commission to the UN Security Council last month for a two-year term, as New Delhi and Washington continue to cooperate on a range of security matters, including defence, counterterrorism, non-proliferation and peacekeeping.
Price also pointed out that United States remains India’s largest and most important trading partner, with total bilateral trade increasing to USD146 billion in 2019.
