Clinton on U.S.-India Partnership: A Focus on Fundamentals
India and the United States: A Focus on the Fundamentals
By Hillary Rodham Clinton
This week, leaders from India and the United States will gather in
Washington to discuss our expanding cooperation on everything from trade to
technology to terrorism. There also will be issues on which we don't see eye to
eye, and some of those may dominate the media coverage. But if we look at the
trend-lines as well as the headlines, a much more important story emerges: The
strategic fundamentals of our relationship - shared democratic values, economic
imperatives and diplomatic priorities - are pushing both countries' interests
into closer convergence. The world's oldest democracy and the world's largest
democracy are entering a new, more mature phase in our relationship.
The most important bond between our two nations continues to be our common
democratic heritage. We are both big, diverse, noisy democracies, committed to
pluralism, freedom, and opportunity. Yet, for many decades, our economic and
strategic policies often diverged. Only after the end of the Cold War, with
India's rapid economic development and growing regional leadership, did the
trajectory of our relationship begin to change.
India's expanding GDP, thriving private sector, emerging consumer class,
and increasing diplomatic clout have all combined to make it a global power with
a big stake in maintaining international security and prosperity. As a result,
we find ourselves sharing more than just common values and political systems --
we also increasingly share common interests in an open, free, fair, and
transparent global economic system; peace and prosperity in South Asia and the
Asia-Pacific; and a coordinated international response to violent extremism and
other shared global challenges.
A bipartisan commitment across successive American and Indian
administrations has driven a steady improvement in relations, marked by
high-profile visits like the one my husband took to India in 2000 and
achievements such as President Bush's landmark civilian nuclear cooperation
agreement. Today, under President Obama and Prime Minister Singh's leadership,
we are continuing those efforts. There is less need for dramatic breakthroughs
and more need for steady, focused cooperation. So together, we are building a
mature partnership defined by near-constant consultation aimed at working
through our differences and advancing the interests and values we share. This
kind of daily collaboration isn't always glamorous, but it is strategically
significant -- and a long way from the old days of the Cold War.
Let's look at three examples of how this works.
First, on the economic front. Two decades after it began to open its
economy, India's industries and innovators have gone global, investing and
trading all over the world. Like American businesses, they have come to see that
further growth depends on open markets, transparent regulations, and fair
mechanisms to settle disputes. And while people in both India and America have
important and sometimes conflicting concerns about market access and the effects
of globalisation, the benefits of growing economic ties are clear: bilateral
trade and investment has reached $100 billion a year, creating jobs and
opportunities for Americans and Indians alike. There is much room for growth,
and so we need to keep up the momentum, further reducing barriers to trade and
investment in areas like multi-brand retail and creating hospitable environments
for companies to do business. Because the world's two biggest democracies should
have one of the world's most robust and consequential economic relationships.
Second, on Asia. For years, Pakistan and South Asia were a chief focus of
India's strategic thinkers. Today, India is also looking east, and playing a
larger role in the broader Asia-Pacific. Both India and the United States
recognise the strategic and economic significance of the waterways that connect
the Indian Ocean through to the Pacific, and the necessity of protecting freedom
of navigation. So we are working together and through multilateral institutions
such as the East Asia Summit to build a regional architecture that will boost
economic growth, settle disputes peacefully, and uphold universal rights and
norms. And we are exploring ways to ensure a constructive relationship among the
United States, India, and China. Effective cooperation between all three
countries will be essential to tackling many of the greatest challenges in the
21st century.
Third, on global challenges like terrorism, climate change, human rights,
and nuclear proliferation. Both India and the United States have been targeted
by violent extremists, and we understand that defeating terrorist networks takes
international coordination and a comprehensive approach that goes after
recruits, safe havens, and finances. We also both know that addressing
cross-cutting challenges like climate change will require developed and
developing countries alike to work together. Even on issues where we have at
times disagreed, like human rights in Burma or sanctions on Iran, you can see
our new habits of cooperation paying off. India understands the importance of
denying Iran a nuclear weapon and supports efforts to ensure Iran's compliance
with its international obligations. And India has taken steps to diversify its
sources of imported crude by reducing purchases of Iranian oil. At the same
time, the US recognises India's energy needs, and we're working together,along with other partners around the world, to ensure stable oil markets
that can meet global demand. And that's what a good partnership is all about --
respecting each other's interests and needs and working to find
mutually-acceptable approaches to common challenges.
These are just three of the most significant areas in which the strategic
fundamentals of our relationship are redefining the US-India partnership. On
issue after issue, we find that India's interests and America's interests are
lining up.
The effectiveness of this partnership will hinge on our ability together to
convert common interests into common action. It's not enough to talk about
cooperating on civilian nuclear energy or attracting more US investment in India
or defending human rights, we have to follow through so that our people can see
the results. And we recognise that some Indians still fear that working closely
with the United States will undermine their "strategic autonomy." But at the end
of the day, a strategic partnership isn't about one country supporting the
policies or priorities of the other. It's about working together on shared goals
and preventing short-term disagreements from derailing long-term
cooperation.
The United States is determined to keep this partnership going and growing.
And that means working together -- including through mechanisms like this week's
US-India Strategic Dialogue -- to build trust and deepen the habits of
cooperation that will help break through areas of disagreement and bring
benefits to the people of both countries.
Together, we can turn strategic fundamentals into strategic
partnership.
(The author is the U.S. secretary of state.)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State.)
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