The United States has called for continued efforts to improve its relations with India, following a bitter run-in over tariffs and trade differences, with a new report highlighting the need for New Delhi's participation in countering the Indo-Pacific threat.
The Quad, comprising global allies India, Japan, Australia, and the US, which was formed to address the Indo-Pacific concern, also found a mention in the US's National Security Strategy Report for November.
"We must continue to improve commercial (and other) relations with India to encourage New Delhi to contribute to Indo-Pacific security, including through continued quadrilateral cooperation with Australia, Japan, and the United States ("the Quad"). Moreover, we will also work to align the actions of our allies and partners with our joint interest in preventing domination by any single competitor nation," the report said.
Read: PM Modi, Putin At Hyderabad House After Rajghat Visit, Guard Of Honour
The report is released at a time when the US's most important adversary, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, enjoys the winters in Delhi, hosted by the leader of its trusted ally, India.
The India-Russia alliance remains a concern in the US policy that saw President Donald Trump trying to use tariffs to stop New Delhi's export of crude oil from Moscow. The oil diplomacy rather strengthened India-Russia ties, with Putin praising New Delhi for not bowing to international pressure.
The report also reiterated Trump's claim that he negotiated peace between India and Pakistan during the May conflict, despite New Delhi saying that it stopped its offensive after Islamabad pleaded for a ceasefire.
The US must also enlist India and its other European and Asian allies to improve their joint position over critical minerals in Africa, the US report said.
Read: "If US Has Right To Buy Our Fuel, Why Shouldn't India": Putin On Tariffs
On the Indo-Pacific, the report said that any competitor trying to control the South China Sea remains a security challenge. This could allow a potentially hostile power to impose a toll system over one of the world's most vital lanes of commerce or-worse-to close and reopen it at will, it feared.
Either of those two outcomes would be harmful to US interests, it said, calling for strong measures to avoid such potential arbitrary steps.
"This will require not just further investment in our military, especially naval, capabilities, but also strong cooperation with every nation that stands to suffer, from India to Japan and beyond, if this problem is not addressed," the report added.
