WASHINGTON - The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, said Wednesday that he expected a greater U.S.-India partnership over issues in the South China Sea, where China has been at the center of numerous territorial disputes with regional countries.
The United States and India declared themselves "among the closest partners in the world" last week during a state visit to Washington by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and emphasized adherence to international law in addressing challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South China Sea.
The U.S. has seen a "clear and upward trend" of Chinese "coercion" in the disputed waters, Kritenbrink told the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
Asked whether India would have a growing role in the South China Sea and greater cooperation with the U.S. there, Kritenbrink said, "Yes," adding that there would be greater collaboration among a group of regional powers — the U.S., India, Japan and Australia — known as the Quad.
He said the U.S. focus in the region was on building capacity of allies, partners and friends that share a vision for a peaceful and stable world.
"We will welcome cooperation with any country that embraces that vision. That, of course, includes India," Kritenbrink said.
"Large countries should not bully smaller ones," he added, referring to China's disputes with other South China Sea claimants.
Tensions are high in contested parts of the South China Sea, one of the world's most important trade routes and a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory and says disputes should be left to countries in the region to settle without outside interference.
Though not a South China Sea claimant, India has in recent years stepped up security ties in the region, signaling its intent to play a bigger role in efforts to counter China.
India's navy said Wednesday that it was sending an active-duty missile corvette to Vietnam as a gift, the first warship it has given to any country.
Kritenbrink referred to what he called "unsafe maneuvers" by Chinese vessels inside Vietnam's exclusive economic zone last month, particularly in the waters around oil and gas installations.
"The PRC's [People's Republic of China] provocative behavior exacerbates risks for businesses, effectively pushing out competition and paving the way for the PRC to push a joint development deal with its state-owned firms," he said.
