‘Won’t endorse it’: US on Rahul Gandhi’s ‘China, Pakistan closer due to PM Modi’s foreign policy’ remark

New Delhi/Washington: The US State Department has said it does not endorse the remarks of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that PM Modi's foreign policy has brought Pakistan and China closer together.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, asked if the US government agrees with Rahul Gandhi's statement made in the Indian parliament on Wednesday, said: “I will leave it to the Pakistanis and the PRC to speak to their relationship. I certainly would not – would not endorse those remarks.”

Participating in the motion of thanks in the Lok Sabha on the President's address, Rahul Gandhi said that the “single biggest strategic goal” of the Modi government has been to try and keep Pakistan and China separate, but instead it has “brought them together”. “Do not underestimate this, you have brought Pakistan and China together, and this is the single biggest crime against the people of India,” Gandhi said.

Asked if he thinks that Pakistan and China are working closely together, and if they feel abandoned by the US, Price said that partnership with the US provides certain advantages that countries would not find if they choose to engage with China.

“We've made the point all along that it is not a requirement for any country around the world to choose between the United States and China. It is our intention to provide choices to countries when it comes to what the relationship with the United States looks like.”

“And we think partnership with the United States conveys a series of advantages that countries typically would not find when it comes to the sorts of partnerships that – “partnerships” may be the wrong term; the sorts of relationships that the PRC has sought to have around the world,” he said.

Price added: “Pakistan is a strategic partner of the United States. We have an important relationship with the government in Islamabad, and it's a relationship that we value across a number of fronts.” (UNI)