US Republican Senator Steve Daines said his usage of a cellphone was an indicator of his trust in India over China. He takes it with him when he travels to Delhi but leaves it behind when visiting Beijing.
Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit in Washington on Tuesday, Daines said India is the only country that can match the scale and magnitude of China’s innovation network along with the United States and called the bilateral ties critical not just for the two democracies but also for the global community.
Elaborating on his view on the trust issue towards India and China, Daines said when he visits Beijing, his phone does not accompany him. “When I go to China, I don’t bring this phone to Beijing. It is on my desk in Washington DC. “This is with me when I go to Delhi or anywhere in India,” Daines, Republican Senator from Montana, remarked while speaking at the Summit where he was allegedly bestowed with the USISPF Public Service Award for his efforts towards establishing bilateral relations.
India the only country to rival China in…
“Washington has to be more strategic about how India plays a role in pushing back against the geopolitical challenge that China poses,” Daines said in an interview with Raj Subramaniam, President and CEO of FedEx.“As we think about what’s going on with China we need a high-trust counterpoint,” he said.
Daines said the United States can’t entirely cut off ties with China but must prioritize de-risking its operations while still building reliable strategic alliances. “We can’t de-couple from China. “We need to engage, we need to de-risk,” he was quoted as saying. “But it begs the question, so what are we gonna do proactively as we think about strategic partnerships and opportunities?
The Senator acknowledged the significance of India’s combined talent pool and said the United States provides the capacity to compete globally.
He said India was the only country in the world that could match the scope of China’s innovation ecosystem. “There is only one country in the world that can equal the size and scale of China’s innovation ecosystem and that’s India working with the United States…the only hope we have thinking about worldwide to compete with it, to achieve the scale is going be India plus the United States,” he said.
“While the United States cannot fully decouple from China, it must de-risk its operations, while at the same time build reliable strategic partners,” Daines added.We can’t de-couple from China. “We need to engage, we need to de-risk,” he was quoted as saying. “But it begs the question, so what are we gonna do proactively as we think about strategic partnerships and opportunities?
The Senator acknowledged the significance of India’s combined talent pool and said the United States provides the capacity to compete globally.
He said India was the only country in the world that could match the scope of China’s innovation ecosystem. “There’s only one country in the world that can compete at the size and scale of China’s innovation ecosystem, and that’s India working with the United States…the only hope we have thinking about globally to compete with that, to build the scale is gonna be India plus the United States,” he said.