US keeping 'watchful' eye: US official on Chinese activities along India's northern border
New Delhi, Nov 2: The US remained "watchful" on Chinese activities along India's northern border as it cannot take its eyes off the regional security issues, a senior American official said on Wednesday in the backdrop of the over 29-month border standoff in eastern Ladakh that has significantly frayed ties between the two neighbours.
Rear Admiral Michael L Baker, the US Defence Attache to New Delhi, also said that it is important to be "mindful" of Chinese actions in the South China Sea as well, even as he described India-US defence ties as the "cornerstone" of the overall bilateral relations.
"It is certainly an important area for us. We do remain watchful," he told a small group of reporters.
"We do work closely with India to exchange our views on this area to make sure that we have a clear understanding of what we think may be happening and I think it is a space that, for both India and the United States, we are going to remain watchful over time. We cannot take our eye off the regional security issues," Rear Admiral Baker said.
His remarks came when asked whether the US has been tracking the developments along India's border with China and how the US views the lingering conflict playing out in the coming months.
The senior defence official also noted that the US wants to be a "partner of choice for India" and that New Delhi has the ability to choose its partners.
He was asked about India's decades-old defence ties with Russia including in projects relating to nuclear-powered submarines.
"We want to be partner of choice for India. India has its ability to choose its partners and it has made a conscious decision to diversify more over the last decade. It has made a conscious decision to continue to diversify going forward. And it has made a conscious decision to partner with the US on a host of areas," Rear Admiral Baker said.
In response to another question on China's increasing military muscle flexing in the South China Sea, Rear Admiral Baker said it is important to assist countries across the region to have a choice of security partners.
"They have a very aggressive stance in the South China Sea. The United States has a pretty clear public position on this too. That's something we need to be mindful and watchful of," the senior American defence official said.
He said the countries in the region could partner with someone like India or the US or both. "That is the key to ensuring that the Indo-Pacific remains free and open, which is the mutual goal for both India and the United States."
To another query on the successful launch of a ballistic missile by a nuclear-powered submarine of India last month, he said the country has done it in a "responsible way".
On whether the US was assisting India to deter China, he did not give a direct reply but said, India has an "incredibly bright future" as it has "superb geography and high mountains" which are critical for defence.
He also mentioned India's large landmass and access to the sea saying, "these are key elements for becoming a highly powerful country."
On the situation in the Indian Ocean, he said China has been having a pretty continuous maritime presence in the region for at least a decade now.
"That has been a pretty consistent presence," he said.
Rear Admiral Baker said the robust defence trade, numerous high level dialogues and increasing number of military exercises in the sea, air and the land are further strengthening the defence relations between India and the US.
"I think we have a lot of trust between our countries and between our militaries. We conduct more exercises together in India than any other country. We operate together at sea routinely and these kinds of interactions deepen trust and familiarity everyday," he said.
Rear Admiral Baker also noted that India and the US are carrying out joint maritime patrols and operating in the same operational space in the North Arabian Sea as well as in the Pacific.
"We know each other so well with a strong level of trust," he added.
Asked how the US sees increasing collaboration between Russia and China in the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, Rear Admiral Baker, said the amount Moscow is getting from "that other partner" is not in accordance with international law or rules.
"We would call on both of them to take proper stand in that war in Ukraine immediately," he said and referred to comments by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that if Russian President Vladimir Putin "stops fighting, the war ends and if Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends."
The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years.
In June 2016, the US designated India a "Major Defence Partner" paving way for sharing of critical military equipment and technology.
The two countries have also inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.
The two sides also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 which provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.
In October 2020, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties.
The pact provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.
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'Made in India' must become symbol of excellence, global competitiveness: PM
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'ease of doing business' and strengthen the services sector to make India a global services giant.
Addressing the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries here, Modi emphasised the need for quality in governance, service delivery and manufacturing, and said the label 'Made in India' must become a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness.
He said India has the potential to become the world's food basket and the country must move towards high-value agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries to become a major food exporter.
"Called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'Ease of Doing Business' and strengthen the services sector. Let us aim to make India a Global Services Giant," Modi said in a series of posts on X.
The theme of the three-day conference, which began on December 26, was 'Human Capital for Viksit Bharat'.
Modi observed that this conference marks another decisive step in strengthening the spirit of cooperative federalism and deepening Centre-State partnership to achieve the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
Highlighting India's demographic advantage, he said nearly 70 per cent of the population is in the working-age group, creating a unique historical opportunity which, when combined with economic progress, can significantly accelerate the journey towards a 'Viksit Bharat', according to an official statement.
Modi said India has boarded the "Reform Express", driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and empowering this demographic remains the government's key priority.
He noted that the conference is being held at a time when the country is witnessing next-generation reforms and steadily moving towards becoming a major global economic power.
Underlining the need to strengthen 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance), he said India must pursue self-reliance with zero defect in products and minimal environmental impact, making the label 'Made in India' synonymous with quality and strengthening the commitment to "zero effect, zero defect".
The PM urged the Centre and states to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and strengthen economic resilience in line with the vision of 'Viksit Bharat'.
In higher education, too, he said, there is a need for academia and industry to work together to create high-quality talent.
He highlighted that India has a rich heritage and history with the potential to be among the top global tourist destinations.
Modi urged the states to prepare a roadmap for creating at least one global-level tourist destination and nourishing an entire tourist ecosystem.
He said it is important to align the national sports calendar with the global sports calendar.
"India is working to host the 2036 Olympics. India needs to prepare infrastructure and sports ecosystem at par with global standards," he said.
The prime minister said the next 10 years must be invested in the states, only then will India get the desired results in such sports events.
Every state must give this top priority and create infrastructure to attract global companies, he said.
In the services sector, Modi said, there should be greater emphasis on other areas like healthcare, education, transport, tourism, professional services and artificial intelligence, etc. to make India a global services giant.
He said India will soon be launching the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM).
States should work in tandem with the discussions and decisions emerging from the conferences of both chief secretaries and DGPs to strengthen governance and implementation.
The PM said similar conferences could be replicated at the departmental level to promote a national perspective among officers and improve governance outcomes in pursuit of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
In conclusion, he said every state must create a 10-year actionable plan based on the discussions of this conference with one, two, five and 10-year target timelines wherein technology can be utilised for regular monitoring.
The conference featured a series of special sessions that enabled focused deliberations on cross-cutting and emerging priorities.
It marks another important milestone in strengthening the Centre-State partnership through structured and sustained dialogue on national development priorities, according to the statement.
The PM's principal secretaries P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, members of the NITI Aayog, chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, and domain experts attended the meeting.
Anchored in the prime minister's vision of cooperative federalism, this conference serves as the forum where the Centre and states collaborate, designing a unified roadmap to maximise India's human capital potential and accelerate inclusive, future-ready growth.
It has been organised annually over the past four years.
The first conference was held in Dharamshala in June 2022, followed by subsequent conferences in New Delhi in January 2023, December 2023 and December 2024.
