U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, embrace following a joint statement and press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. (file)
U.S. deepens ties with India, Indonesia; builds new relationships with New Zealand, Pacific Island states.
The United States is forging deeper and wider partnerships with emerging powers such as India and Indonesia, and building new relationships with countries like New Zealand and the Pacific Island states that reflect both historic ties and common values with Asia-Pacific nations, U.S. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon told a group in New York recently during a wide-ranging address on U.S-Asian relations.
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Forging Deeper Partnerships With Emerging Powers
The United States is forging closer ties with emerging energy powerhouse Papua New Guinea and our partners in the Pacific Islands. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s historic visit to the Pacific Islands Forum last August underscored this effort.
U.S. and Indian interests converge in the Asia-Pacific, where India has much to give and also much to gain.
“Southeast Asia begins in Northeast India, and we welcome India’s efforts to ‘look East,’ from supporting reforms in Burma, to trilateral cooperation with Japan, to promoting maritime security. In the past year, for example, India-ASEAN trade increased by 37 percent to $80 billion,” Mr. Donilon said. “We don’t just accept India’s rise, we fervently support it.”
U.S. President Barack Obama has said that relations with India, the world’s largest democracy, will be “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.”
The United States has also a wide-ranging partnership with Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, third largest democracy, and largest majority-Muslim country.
“The United States has . . . worked hard to realize Indonesia’s potential as a global partner. We have welcomed Indonesia’s vigorous participation in the region’s multilateral forums, including hosting the APEC and promoting ASEAN unity,” Mr. Donilon said. “We are also working with Indonesia and Brunei on a major new initiative to mobilize capital to help bring clean and sustainable energy to the Asia-Pacific.”
“No U.S. President has ever had closer personal ties to an Asia-Pacific nation than President [Barack] Obama does with Indonesia - a warm relationship that was on full display in November 2010 when President Obama visited Jakarta,” Mr. Donilon said.
“The overarching objective of the United States in the region is to sustain a stable security environment and a regional order rooted in economic openness, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for universal rights and freedoms.”
