On Wednesday, United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on India to focus on domestic supply chains and reduce its dependence on China by moving “supply chains away from China and reduce(ing) its reliance on Chinese companies in areas like telecommunications, medical supplies, and others”.
Pompeo’s made these statements during the recent online US-India Business Council India Ideas Summit.
Tensions between India and China have increased after the Galwan Valley border clash last month in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
While blaming China for initiating the border clash, Pompeo stated, “The recent clashes initiated by the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) are just the latest examples of the CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) unacceptable behavior”.
“India is in this position because it has earned the trust of many nations around the world, including the United States,” Pompeo said.
“The United States has never been more supportive of India‘s security. India, too, is an important partner and a key pillar of President [Donald] Trump’s foreign policy,” he added.
Separately, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s ambassador to the US, commented, India was open to US companies constructing manufacturing plants in the country.
Recently, India has been modernizing its military power to reduce the gap with China by increasingly reaching out to the US over its long-time supplier, Russia and also building closer security ties with US allies, including Japan.