China ties not at India's cost: US

Washington, Nov 19: The US has made it clear that building relations with China or any other country would be at the cost of India.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns said, "Of course, we are interested in building better relations with China, but that does not mean it has to be at the cost of India."

When asked about President Barack Obama not mentioning India in a major speech about Asia's role in world affairs, Burns said, "The clearest indication of this was the fact that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington next week would be the first hosted by the Obama administration."

"On matters of common international concern, the US looked to China and many other countries," said Burns, who is among the top US officials giving finishing touches to a strategic dialogue framework with India to take their relationship to the next level during the visit.

"We look forward to the completion of the remaining steps on both sides," he said, pointing out that US companies stand to benefit a great deal with the implementation of the nuclear deal.

OneIndia News