Healthy relationship between India and China is in US interest, Ambassador says

A healthy relationship between India and China is in the interest of America, nominee for US Ambassador to India has said noting Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set out on a positive footing in reaching out to its neighbour.

“Much like the United States, the Indian relationship with China has elements of cooperation and elements of competition. But Prime Minister Modi himself has said that he wants a strong and healthy relationship with China,” said Richard Rahul Verma at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing yesterday.

The Indian-American noted that “although there will be disagreements from time to time between the countries but again, to the extent these are resolved peacefully…I would say the Prime Minister has set out on a very positive footing in reaching out to China”.

Commenting on the border issues between India and China, Mr Verma said, “There is a dialogue on border issues when they occur. And again, the economic issues are important to both countries. So anything that we can do to ensure that the dialogue remains open, that trade and connectivity remain strong.”

“Premier Xi’s visit to meet Modi after he became the Prime Minister coincided with the flare-up along the India-China border and there was a lot of confusion about why the incident took place when such an important meeting was underway,” he said.