Our bondage far outweighs differences, says Hillary

PTI

Chennai, 21 July 2011: Betting on India’s future, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said the country should play a “more assertive” role across Asia-Pacific, noting that this is a “time to lead” by seizing emerging opportunities.

 

Ms. Clinton said India’s leadership has the potential to positively shape the future of the Asia-Pacific and that the U.S. encourages the country to not just to look east, but continue to engage and “act east” as well.

 

Defining partnership of 21st century

 

Ms. Clinton, who is the first American top diplomat to visit Chennai during a India trip, also asserted that the bondage outweighed differences in Indo-U.S. ties and that the bilateral relationship would be a defining partnership of the 21st century.

 

 

“We have a common commitment to combating terrorism and achieving economic prosperity,” she told students and opinion makers at the Anna Centenary Library hall in Chennai.

 

“It is true we are different countries with different backgrounds. We will from time to time disagree. But we believe our differences are far outweighed by the bondage,” Ms. Clinton said, addressing students and opinion makers.

 

Ms. Clinton began her address saying “Vanakkam,” a vernacular greeting, triggering a round of applause.

 

Noting that the role she was asking India to play is ambitious, Ms. Clinton said, “Yes, it is an ambitious agenda, but we can afford to be ambitious.”

 

"Assertive role across Asia-Pacific"

 

“It’s time(for India) to lead. It has to do more to integrate economically with neighbors Afghanistan and Pakistan and take a more assertive role across the Asia-Pacific,” Ms. Clinton said a day after attending the second Indo-U.S. joint strategic dialogue in New Delhi.

 

 

“This is not a time when any of us can afford to look inward at the expense of looking outward. This is a time to seize the emerging opportunities of the 21st century. This is a time to lead.” she said

 

“We are betting on India’s future...that the opening of India’s markets to world will produce a more prosperous India and South Asia. We are betting that India’s vibrant pluralistic society will inspire others to follow a similar path of tolerance. We are making this bet not out of blind faith but because we have watched your progress with great admiration,” she added.

 

In Ms. Clinton’s view, the U.S. was not making this bet not out of some blind faith but because it has watched the progress of India with “great admiration”.

 

Ms. Clinton said the future of Asia would be shaped by decisions of the Indian government and 1.3 billion people of the country.

 

She said the opening of India’s market to the world would not only produce a more prosperous India and a more prosperous South Asia, but it would also spill over to Central Asia and beyond into the Asia-Pacific region.

 

On Indo-U.S. relations

 

The top diplomat singled out civil nuclear energy as an area where India and the U.S. “can and must do more“.

 

Ms. Clinton said she was “encouraged” by India and Pakistan’s decision to restart their peace talks.

 

The visiting U.S. leader also referred to questions raised about the directions of Indo-U.S. relationship, but said the differences between the two countries were “far outweighed” by their deep and abiding policies, including democracy and pluralism.

 

“We share common interest like stopping terrorism and spurring balanced and broad-based economic growth that deeply influence our societies,” Ms. Clinton said.

 

Speaking about India’s growing leadership role, she said ”... India is today taking its rightful place in meeting rooms and conference halls where the world’s consequential questions are debated and decided.”

 

President Barack Obama had recognised this when he said the U.S. would look “forward to a reformed UNSC that includes India as a permanent member.”

 

Noting that U.S.-India cooperation was producing “real results”, she said both countries would work together on strengthening the joint fight against terrorism, boosting economic ties, completing civilian nuclear partnership and deepening defence cooperation.

 

“We think this works very much in the interest of our country and the people.” she said.

 

Ms. Clinton also had a word of praise for India’s Election Commission which is widely viewed as the “global gold standard” for holding polls.

 

Against the backdrop of New Delhi’s stance on human rights abuses in Asia, Ms. Clinton said “As India takes on a larger role throughout the Asia-Pacific, it is also taking on new responsibilities including the duty to speak out against violations of universal human rights.”

 

Ms. Clinton stressed that cordial relations between India, China and the U.S. were important.

 

“This will not always be easy,” she said. But she added that “if we want to address, manage or solve some of the most pressing issues of the 21st century, India, China and the United States will have to coordinate our efforts.”