India has strategic opportunity to become alternative manufacturing destination in Indo-Pacific: US envoy Juster
Jan 05, 2021
New Delhi [India], January 5 : India has a strategic opportunity to become an alternative manufacturing destination in the Indo-Pacific region as the United States and other countries find it increasingly difficult to operate in China, said United States Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, on Tuesday.
Speaking during his farewell address on the US-India partnership, Juster said that the Indo-Pacific is rich in natural resources and is fast becoming the center of gravity of the evolving international system as tectonic plates of that system have shifted marked especially by the rise of China and more recently by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The region is rich in natural resources and it is fast becoming the center of gravity of the evolving international system. Indeed, the tectonic plates of that system have shifted marked especially by the rise of China and more recently by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has devastated health, and economy in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere," Juster said.
"As the US and other countries find it increasingly difficult to operate in China or seek to diversify way from Chinese led supply chains. India has a strategic opportunity to become an alternative manufacturing destination in the Indo-Pacific region," he added.
The envoy said that the US government is dedicated to supporting India's rise on the world stage. He added that New Delhi's expanding economy is likely to become an important driver for growth in the Indo-Pacific region.
"US government is dedicated to not just bilateral relationships but to supporting India's rise on the world stage. US National Security Strategy put it down on paper in 2017, welcoming India's emergence as a leading power and a stronger strategic and defence partner," he said.
Juster said the Indo-Pacific is particularly "significant" for India and the US relationship because it recognises the reality that India and the Indian ocean are inextricably tied to East Asia and the Pacific.
"The Indo Pacific is particularly significant for India and US relationship because it recognises the reality that India and Indian ocean are inextricably tied to the East Asia and Pacific. India's expanding economy is likely to become an important driver for growth in the region," he added.
Juster said that Washington sees New Delhi as a "critical partner" for preserving and expanding the peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
