New Delhi: In a clear message aimed at China without naming it, India and the United States have decided “to redouble their efforts towards India’s early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)” with both sides stressing the “importance of maintaining freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce throughout the region, including in the South China Sea”.
In a joint Indo-US statement issued after Tuesday’s Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, the two countries “reaffirmed their commitment to work together as priority partners in the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean region.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also called on China to accept the international tribunal’s recent verdict on the South China Sea which had gone against Beijing, adding that there can be “no military solution” to the problem.
The US also backed permanent membership for India in the UN Security Council, with Mr Kerry saying there was a way forward on this but that it was complicated and that it was “going to take a while”.
The US said India was an “established power” now. In the joint statement, The US also reaffirmed its support for India’s early membership of the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.
