US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged India yesterday to be more assertive in Asia, reflecting US desire for New Delhi to emerge as a counter-weight to Chinese power.
Speaking in the Indian city of Chennai -- a southern trading port looking out towards east Asia -- Clinton argued that India needed to play a bolder leadership role in building security and prosperity in the region.
"India's leadership has the potential to positively shape the future of the Asia-Pacific... and we encourage you not just to look east, but continue to engage and act east as well," she said in Chennai.
Washington has actively courted India, regarding the country as a natural ally because of the two countries' shared belief in democracy, human rights and market-oriented economic policies.
China, militarily and economically superior to India, is Asia's dominant power and has been spreading its influence into India's immediate neighbourhood, notably in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Beijing has also been involved in several incidents in the disputed South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, leading to fears it is prepared to assert its power more forcefully.
Clinton stressed that India should play a role as a US ally in regional forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a planned East Asia Summit later this year.
She made only one explicit mention of China in the speech, saying that she was "committed to a strong, constructive relationship" between Washington, New Delhi and Beijing.
But alongside the praise and advocacy for India, Clinton returned to the issue of New Delhi's stance on human rights abuses in Asia, which was also highlighted by US President Barack Obama in his visit to the country last year.
India has formed close ties with military-ruled Myanmar, a northeastern neighbour, and the US believes New Delhi should exert more pressure on its generals over the country's record.
On Tuesday, Clinton met Indian leaders in New Delhi including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister SM Krishna to push for easier access to the country's nuclear market and closer security cooperation.
She stressed that the US-India relationship, which President Barack Obama described as the "defining partnership of the 21st century", had made great progress in recent years, but was yet to fulfill its potential.
Speaking in the Indian city of Chennai -- a southern trading port looking out towards east Asia -- Clinton argued that India needed to play a bolder leadership role in building security and prosperity in the region.
"India's leadership has the potential to positively shape the future of the Asia-Pacific... and we encourage you not just to look east, but continue to engage and act east as well," she said in Chennai.
Washington has actively courted India, regarding the country as a natural ally because of the two countries' shared belief in democracy, human rights and market-oriented economic policies.
China, militarily and economically superior to India, is Asia's dominant power and has been spreading its influence into India's immediate neighbourhood, notably in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Beijing has also been involved in several incidents in the disputed South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, leading to fears it is prepared to assert its power more forcefully.
Clinton stressed that India should play a role as a US ally in regional forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a planned East Asia Summit later this year.
She made only one explicit mention of China in the speech, saying that she was "committed to a strong, constructive relationship" between Washington, New Delhi and Beijing.
But alongside the praise and advocacy for India, Clinton returned to the issue of New Delhi's stance on human rights abuses in Asia, which was also highlighted by US President Barack Obama in his visit to the country last year.
India has formed close ties with military-ruled Myanmar, a northeastern neighbour, and the US believes New Delhi should exert more pressure on its generals over the country's record.
On Tuesday, Clinton met Indian leaders in New Delhi including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister SM Krishna to push for easier access to the country's nuclear market and closer security cooperation.
She stressed that the US-India relationship, which President Barack Obama described as the "defining partnership of the 21st century", had made great progress in recent years, but was yet to fulfill its potential.
