Defence cooperation could drive broader Indo-US ties in near future
2015-02-09 08:43:50 source：Economic Times
February 9, 2015
"The strongest of bilateral relations are anchored in defence and security cooperation. Economic relations are indeed important. But they are not a full measure of the depth of a partnership. The Britain-US relation is the best example, with bilateral trade only 2.7% of the total US trade, only 1% higher than the India-US figure.
There are many reasons why defence and security cooperation could begin driving wider Indo-US bilateral ties. The most important factor is that both nations are deeply suspicious of the 'peaceful rise' of China. Despite being militarily inferior, China harasses American ships and planes in the South China Sea. Further, China's 'nine-dashed line' demarcation policy in the South China Sea that runs counter to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and its aggressive posturing against Vietnam and Japan over disputed islands, are portentous."
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